Menopause Matters

The menopause has hit headlines recently after the ECHR issued guidance stating employers must make reasonable adjustments for employees affected by it.

Coincidentally, this news broke a few days before our roundtable on the menopause, lead by Dr Jacquelyn Gatenby (NHS/Newson Health) and health coach, Nikki Chamberlain, and kindly hosted by Slalom. We covered a lot of ground including terminology, the role of hormones, likely symptoms, treatment options and how employers can best support their staff.

Some of the key takeaways were:

-          This has to be a conversation for everyone, not just women – and definitely not just “women of a certain age”!

-          There is a real lack of knowledge about the menopause, leading to misdiagnoses and a lack of support. For example, only 25% of women suffer hot flashes despite it being considered the defining factor.

-          Cognitive issues during (peri)menopause, such as brain fog, anxiety and depression, may be linked to testosterone. Currently women are not generally offered testosterone as part of HRT and it is only licensed for low libido.   

-          Doctors should work with women to create a plan, which can be adjusted to meet their changing needs. Too often women are not given the data needed to make informed decisions and can struggle to get answers.

-          Menopause at work policies are useful and businesses should definitely consider implementing these. However, there is a danger of making a policy and not discussing it with employees or making sure everyone is aware of what support is in place.

As a result of the session, Elevate has committed to:

-          Creating a bank of resources available to everyone. As a starting point, we recommend Balance and their app for articles and journalling/tracking symptoms. It is also worth reading the CIPD’s Menopause at work: A guide for people professionals.

-          Facilitating further conversations with an aim of destigmatising the issue and developing an easy-to-share guide for employers

-          Supporting members to create bespoke menopause policies. We are absolutely delighted that Smooth HR is offering all Elevate members a free consultation to start this process (contact us for an introduction).

We have been overwhelmed with the feedback from the initial event and with how quickly attendees have taken action. We would love to hear from you with any ideas on how we can best support in this area.