Supporting our employees through the menopause
There is an estimated 13 million people in the UK who are either perimenopausal or menopausal, roughly a third of the entire UK female population¹. All women, and some trans and non-binary people, will transition through menopause, and most will experience symptoms which impact their quality of life in some way.
In fact, research shows that 1 in 10 working women have left a job as a direct result of their menopause symptoms². Supporting employees during the menopause is essential to retain valuable knowledge, skills and experience within a key workplace demographic. Often, simple actions such as education, raising awareness and training can make a real difference.
At Enterprise, we want our people managers to feel equipped and confident in applying best practice when supporting people experiencing menopause. That’s why we recently partnered with Business in the Community to roll out Menopause Training for managers.
The training session was well attended by all genders
“Supporting employees during the menopause is essential to retain valuable knowledge, skills and experience”
The training sessions explored what menopause and perimenopause mean, how they can affect different people in a number of ways, and how menopause and perimenopause might show up at work.
Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the training for many attendees was the topic of intersectionality, highlighting how factors such as age, sex, gender reassignment, disability, race and neurodiversity can impact people’s experience of menopause. For example, studies show that Black women are three times more likely to experience premature menopause (menopause before the age of 40) compared to white women, leading to a 40 percent higher risk of developing coronary heart disease over their lifetime³.
“The training explored some of the more common menopause symptoms in a workplace context”
The training also explored some of the more common menopause symptoms in a workplace context, considering practical accommodations that could make things easier. A hot flush in an unventilated office, for example, can be made more bearable by the provision of a portable fan.
The response from our employees tells us that this training is important: a post-training survey revealed a 100% complete satisfaction rating among attendees, with 97.3% of managers recommending the course to a colleague.
By educating and training managers, we are better able to support employees through their menopause journey – improving the employee experience and supporting women in the workplace.
¹ Wellbeing of Women - NHS England 2023
² Menopause and the Workplace, Fawcett Society, 2022.
³ https://www.oprahdaily.com/life/health/a39649768/women-of-color-menopause/
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