WHAT ARE THE PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS FOR THE WORKPLACE?

According to the Fawcett Report:

• 10% of women who have worked during the menopause left a job due to their symptoms • 14% reduced their hours at work • 8% had not applied for promotion • These statistics above are all higher for disabled women • 80% of women say their employer hasn’t shared information, trained staff, or put in place a menopause absence policy • More women described difficulty sleeping and brain fog as being

“difficult” or “very difficult” than hot flushes or night sweats (70%) • 41% of respondents said that the menopause or its symptoms were treated as a joke by people at work

Other studies have shown that issues related to menopause can have a substantial impact on attendance and performance in the workplace, which can be wrongly identified as a performance issue.

There are wide-ranging practical implications for employers: • Increased turnover of staff • Less gender diversity in senior roles • Adverse impact on gender pay gap • Increased sickness absence (the Fawcett Report found that many women were reluctant to reveal the real reason for their absence) • Increased use of capability proceedings where the employer is unaware the individual is experiencing the menopause