5 minute read
Pause AND be part of the change
Pause AND be part of the change
Lucie Allen, Managing Director-Barbri Global, explains how to navigate your career through the menopause and how organisations can be part of the solution.
The journey through senior leadership positions can be particularly challenging for women. This is in part due to an historical lack of female representation, leading to a culture where women may feel unsupported as they age. One significant factor contributing to this is the silence surrounding menopause, a natural life stage that can have a profound impact on a woman's physical and emotional wellbeing.
Many women reach their peak professional years during the perimenopause and menopause transition. This often coincides with a time when their skills and experience are most valuable to an organisation. However, a lack of knowledge, awareness and support about menopausal symptoms can lead to women feeling sidelined or even leaving the workforce entirely.
One critical step towards retaining women in leadership is to normalise open conversations about menopause. Many women, as with my own experience that I describe below, suffer debilitating symptoms in silence.
Last year, I was in a board meeting focusing on the conversation and what we needed to get done. Halfway through the meeting, I started to feel uncomfortable with an unsettling feeling that I was wetting myself. I was able to make it to the toilet but noticed with horror that I had flooded and bled through my knickers, trousers and down my legs.
I felt overwhelmed and unsure what I was going to do as I cleaned up as much as possible. As I headed back into the meeting room I found a blood-soaked chair. The meeting was in full swing but I was unable to concentrate. I was desperately thinking about how I was going to get out, who had noticed and whether it was going to happen again.
In the end I cracked and asked the man next to me for help, which he willingly and thankfully offered, including getting me a new chair. The rest of the meeting passed, I got back to my hotel and cleaned up and moved on. As I started to talk about what had happened to me with others, it became quickly apparent that I was not alone. Others had experienced similar feelings of being overwhelmed.
By openly sharing experiences, women can learn from each other and gain the confidence to seek solutions. Additionally, open communication allows employers to understand the challenges faced by their employees and implement support systems. Posting my experience on LinkedIn led to a group of like-minded women coming together with stories to tell and share. We felt strongly that we needed to keep the conversation going by using our platforms and voices.
Launching #MenopauseMatters
#menopausematters is effectively driven by a group of women in the professional services space (Silvia Van Den Bruel, Lucinda Case, Lisa James, Sara Carnegie, Jane Clemeston, Helen Burness, Lucie Allen & Kate Gaskell) . We have worked over recent months to create a useful resource and guide called 'Seven Things You Need to Know About Menopause in the Workplace'. This aims to raise awareness and remove the awkwardness surrounding the menopause, particularly in professional settings including the legal sector.
Organisations that prioritise retaining women leaders must foster a culture of understanding and support. You can learn more from the guide here: https://bit.ly/4b2yM3d
The Call to Action – You Can Be Part of the Change
We need to continue to raise awareness and remove some of the awkwardness around what is a natural process for women. You can help. Here are some ways you and your organisation can be a part of the solution:
• Share this guide with everyone in your network. Ask them to share it too and read the personal stories.
• Become your team/department/firm menopause champion. Be a resource for colleagues and help to foster a supportive environment.
• Volunteer to be a menopause mentor. You could be the person to whom people can share experiences, offer advice, and/or provide emotional support.
• Lead by example by openly discussing menopause and its impact. The more we talk about it, the more we normalise it. If you want to step out of a meeting to take a moment, then say that is what you are doing and why.
• Does your firm have DEI working groups? Maybe they can organise a menopause-focused event. Invite a healthcare professional or experts to speak on the topic.
• Get your HR department involved. They can help incorporate some of the practical tips we shared in this article as standard practice and work on a menopause policy.
By retaining and supporting women through the menopause, organizations gain access to a wealth of talent, experience, and diverse perspectives. Creating a workplace that fosters wellbeing for women of all ages is not just the right thing to do but also a smart business decision. ■
Lucie Allen
Managing Director, BARBRI
Global Limited www.barbri.com
Many women reach their peak professional years during the perimenopause and menopause transition.
