Managing Menopause in the Workplace

12/04/2017


Managing Menopause in the Workplace

The Faculty of Occupational Medicine has released guidance on menopause in the workplace. This guidance is aimed at women going through menopause and experiencing the impact it has on their working lives. It also offers employers practical guidance on how to improve workplace environments for menopausal women.

Menopause is often a hidden health concern for working women. So, it is important that workers of all ages are better informed about how to confidently manage health issues such as this in their workplaces. The guidance provides straightforward suggestions about what employers and line managers can do to help, as well as tips for women themselves in how to cope.

The menopause is increasingly being widely recognised as a potential problem and is no longer ‘taboo’. Serious problems only affect a minority of menopausal women, and even then only temporarily. But for those affected it can be very unpleasant. More awareness and some simple changes, many that women themselves have recommended, could make their working lives during this time much easier.

Find out more at: http://www.fom.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/Guidance-on-menopause-and-the-workplace-v6.pdf

Healthwork Advice and Discussion

The symptoms of menopause can adversely affect the quality of both personal and working life of women. At work, they can cause embarrassment, diminish confidence and can be stressful to deal with. The menopause may be compounded by the development of other health conditions, as well as coinciding with caring responsibilities for ageing parents and relatives. 

Employers have responsibilities for the health and safety of all their employees, but there are also clear business reasons for proactively managing an age-diverse workforce. Some employers have been slow to recognise that women of menopausal age may need specific considerations and many employers do not yet have clear processes to support women coping with menopausal symptoms.

These practical guidelines aim to help women experiencing troublesome menopausal symptoms, and to support them and their colleagues and managers in tackling the occupational aspects of menopausal symptoms.

The management of gender-specific health issues other than pregnancy are rarely discussed in the workplace. Employers can recognise that some women may be reluctant to have discussions about their experience of the menopause with their manager and the impartial input of an occupational health professional can be very useful.

Healthwork clinicians are well-versed with the Faculty of Occupational Medicine's guidance. We routinely provide advice on measures to support women with such symptoms to manage at work. Our clinicians can perform assessments of working women dealing with symptoms of the menopause. 

If you would like further details on how Healthwork could assist you in this area, visit our website www.healthworkltd,com or alternatively contact us on 01618319701.