Menopause: Let’s talk about it

It isn’t always easy talking about our intimate health. It’s understandable that for all sorts of valid reasons we might wish to keep our health issues separate from the workplace. However, we also know that if we’re able to share, we’re better placed to help guide colleagues and team members with any changes in our circumstances.

Here at the Management Centre, L&D Consultant Leonard Ho shares what he discovered during a Menopause Awareness Session hosted by expert trainer and facilitator on the menopause, Andrea Newton of Confident Conversations Ltd. Offering tips on how managers can support team members who might be experiencing pre and post-menopausal symptoms, Leonard responds from a viewpoint that many will be able to relate to.

=mc: Hi Leonard and thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. What was the most surprising aspect for you during the menopause awareness training?

Leonard: There were so many. The first one being that menopause only occurs on one day. Prior to the training, my impression was that menopause was a phase where people experience ‘hot flushes’ and general discomfort as the body undergoes changes. What I learned was that some women can experience the peri-menopausal symptoms for up to 8-10 years and then some can experience post-menopausal symptoms for another 4 years on average after menopause – timescales will vary for every woman. That’s a potentially long time. The second being that the blood test to check for hormonal levels to diagnose if a woman is undergoing menopause can be unreliable.

=mc: What did you take away from the training as a man?

Leonard: I was shocked to learn that menopause can affect up to 300 bodily functions with 20% of women experiencing debilitating conditions. In a 2023 CIPD report on Menopause in the Workplace, 2,000 women aged 40 to 60 were surveyed which showed:

• Two in three women (67%) reported their most common symptoms are psychological, such as mood disturbances, anxiety, depression, memory loss, panic attacks, loss of confidence and reduced concentration.
• Almost fifty percent of women (43%) said their organisations did not have a menopause policy while a third (33%) did not know.
• Around 1 in 6 people (17%) have considered leaving work due to a lack of support in relation to their menopause symptoms while a further 6% have actually left work.
• More positively, a quarter (24%) said their organisation did have a stated menopause policy or other support mechanisms in place.

These are startling statistics that will affect half of the world’s population yet menopause remains a ‘taboo’ topic people shy away from talking about. It’s understandable why women going through menopause may well consider leaving their jobs. I can’t imagine trying to managing those symptoms while balancing the pressures of work.

=mc: What do you think managers need to be aware of when supporting a member of staff who discloses their symptoms in confidence?

Leonard: Firstly, I think it’s important that all managers are aware of the symptoms menopausal women may face. This is about educating ourselves and understanding how such symptoms may impact women and their work.

To be clear, managers shouldn’t feel as if they need to offer medical advice as part of that education, but it is important to show support for our team members and colleagues and work with them to identify what reasonable adjustments might help.

I asked Andrea Newton for a bit more information and she shared this really useful insight:

“The support managers can provide will be dependent on whether the employee discloses their condition in the first place. Therefore, it’s important for managers to create an inclusive and safe space for their employees to be able to disclose any conditions that are affecting their work. The support they provide could include signposting resources that employees can access on their own.”

As a cisgender man, I won’t ever experience menopause but being more knowledgeable is very much welcomed and will mean I can better support participants on our courses who might be experiencing challenges in this area, either for themselves or their teams.

Also as managers we won’t always get everything right, so let’s be kind to ourselves, show others empathy and recognise that this is an ongoing journey of learning to upskill our knowledge and awareness about the impact menopause can have.

=mc: Finally Leonard, is there any reading material or guidelines that managers might find useful?

Leonard: I found Andrea’s website ‘In her Right Mind’ to be hugely useful as it has a lot of links and resources for further reading and information. There’s also the website Balance by Newson Health which offers sensitive and practical guidance.

You know, men aren’t often invited to share their thoughts on the menopause but if they’ve a partner, colleague, friend or relative who are experiencing some of the symptoms, it may impact on them too. Communicating with care and compassion is vital when a team member shares a confidence regarding their health.

=mc: Thanks so much for this Leonard, this may well help a significant number of people.

What’s next?

If you would like guidance on navigating sensitive discussions, which don’t need to be linked to health, find out more about our Assertive Conversations course, where we provide techniques on how to feel more confident with difficult conversations in the workplace. You might also be interested in our Coaching Skills for Managers programme that will help you to better understand and support your colleagues.

Alternatively if you’d prefer a chat with a consultant, please call +44 (0)20 7978 1516 or email yvette@managementcentre.co.uk and we can set that up for you.

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