women aged 50 to 64 are the fastest growing economically active group in the uk and of
the 70 of women in employment in the uk almost four and a half million are in this age bracket
one in four women who experience menopausal symptoms consider leaving their job and
this results in a loss of knowledge experience and talent for the workplace
so menopause is a topic worth talking about in this video i'm going to share with you 10
key things managers should know about menopause and also where you can get fab free resources
to help you start talking about menopause in your workplace what is menopause well contrary
to belief menopause isn't when a woman has the majority of her menopausal symptoms
menopause is one day it's the day she's gone 12 months consecutively without having a period what
is perimenopause the perimenopause is the phase leading up to the menopause when a woman's
hormone balance starts to change now for some women this can start as early in their 20s
or as late as their late 40s perimenopause is when she'll have the majority of her symptoms what is
post menopause post menopause is the time after you've been without a menstrual period for 12
months and during this stage menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes can get milder or go away
how many women does it happen to well all women will go through menopause now for some the
transition will be almost unnoticeable but for some it will be debilitating menopause can also
happen to those who are trans trans is an umbrella term used to describe people whose gender is not
the same as the sex they were assigned at birth and also intersex people some people prefer the
term differences in sex development or also known as dsd what age does menopause happen well usually
this occurs between the ages of 45 and 55 and in the uk the average age is 51 but for around 1 in
100 women they can experience menopause before 40 years of age and in a few exceptional cases women
may become menopausal in their 30s or even younger and it's worth recognizing and being aware that
menopause can also occur either medically or surgically what are the most common symptoms
of menopause symptoms range from cognitive physical and psychological and they can include
hot flushes heart palpitations fatigue sleep disturbance dry eye conditions muscular aches
headaches as well as night sweats skin irritations irritability anxiety and or mood disturbances
poor concentration and brain fog and the need for more toilet breaks now for many it's the
psychological symptoms of what they can struggle with the most how long can menopause symptoms last
on average most symptoms can last around four years from when a woman's periods end
however around one in every 10 women can experience them for up to 12 years
so how can the menopause symptoms affect women at work well hot flushes and sweats for example
are not only an obvious sign of the menopause but they can make those that suffer from from
them feel self-conscious and hot flushes do seem to happen at the most unwelcome of times uniforms
made from man-made materials can be uncomfortable if a job involves standing
all day or doing physical work this can be a struggle for your colleague especially if
they're struggling with fatigue unpredictable heavy bleeding and vaginal pain and discomfort
so alongside the physical symptoms women can struggle with forgetfulness poor concentration
mood swings and inability to make decisions and tiredness which can all play a part in affecting
how they perform in the workplace what can be put in place to help those going through menopause
popular ways to help are to make it easier for colleagues to talk comfortably about their
symptoms and how they are affecting them at work the easier it will be to identify
the support they need when they are comfortable talking about it practical help can be providing
desk fans providing easier access to cold drinking water sanitary products in the
toilets uniforms made from natural materials and offering flexible working providing training for
the workplace so it creates more awareness of menopause especially around understanding
the psychological symptoms and it's always worth doing a risk assessment for your workplace to
establish what could be needed so how many women in the workplace can menopause affect
well the menopause survey from 2018 discovered that 76 of women said their symptoms were
moderately or extremely problematic at work and 20 said that they had considered leaving work
now this increased to 44 of those whose symptoms were extremely problematic a company called fourth
did a survey of 1 000 women in 2019 aged over 45 in the uk their survey discovered that 58 of the
women surveyed said that they were still affected by symptoms of the menopause and that this
sometimes caused them problems at work 41 said that poor concentration or forgetfulness has led
them to make more mistakes and 40 percent admitted to losing interest in their job as a result
eleven percent for went the opportunity for promotion because of menopause and eight
percent believed that their symptoms played some part in them resigning their position
is there a menopause law well currently there's no specific law that directly relates to menopause
but menopause at work is covered by certain pieces of legislation to protect employers and employees
the relevant legislation is the equality act 2010 and the health and safety at work act 1974. the
equality act 2010 is where menopause is largely covered under three protected characteristics
age sex and disability discrimination now have businesses been taken to court yes
there have been businesses and organizations in the uk taken to employment tribunals and
a couple of these cases are merchant versus bt plc and mandy davies versus the scottish court
tribunal service so what can you do to make menopause less awkward for you as a manager
ask for or attend difficult conversation training ask for or attend menopause awareness training
but also get your hands on some fab free resources that are out there to help you not only understand
menopause but they're going to give you the tools to help you talk about menopause in the workplace
so where can you get these free resources
check out positivity and they're fabulous information pack and also the menopause
cafe i'll be sure to drop the links to both those fabulous organizations in the content description
for this video and you can also be sure to check out other videos on my youtube channel
as well as my blog on the menopause training company website let me help you have comfortable
conversations about menopause without the worry of saying or doing the wrong thing remember to
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