Wellbeing and relationships in the workplace
A culture of silence about the menopause
Around half (48%) of menopausal women and trans men feel it is not something you can discuss at work. Only two in ten (22%) of those currently experiencing the menopause disclosed their status to seek support – disclosure was even rarer among those who experienced it in the past (14%).3 Disclosure was higher among those in non-management roles (18%) than among those in senior leadership roles (8%), suggesting that they are more afraid it will affect their role – and highlighting a real issue for the pipeline of senior women.
Among women and trans men who are currently experiencing the menopause, the highest proportion (46%) said that they did not disclose because they were worried that they would be perceived negatively, while 41% were worried their abilities would be questioned.
Figure 3: Stigma holds back employees from disclosing menopause status
Women who wanted to progress at their workplace were particularly fearful of disclosing their status, as one woman explained:
Women working in male-dominated or younger workplaces were particularly worried that managers and colleagues would not react well. They described that the cultures of their workplaces are ones in which anything to do with women’s health is taboo and that stereotypes of older women as emotional and incompetent exist. These women did not think that their manager or colleagues would react well or know what to do if they said they were menopausal.
3 This does not include those who talked about the menopause in private conversations with colleagues.
Among women that did disclose their menopause status, some reported facing poor reactions. Others recounted positive experiences of telling their manager and receiving support and understanding after doing so.
Case study: Supportive male line manager
A senior leader in banking was just starting to experience menopause symptoms. One day during the winter in an Exco meeting, she had a hot flush. Her boss acted quickly, remarking that the room was too hot (even though it was not) and removed his sweater.
A few days later in their one-to-one, he remarked that his wife was currently going through the menopause and wondered if she might be too. When she said yes, he shared a lot of information about it with her. Because he was so knowledgeable and open, she felt more comfortable carrying a fan with her and discussing it with colleagues.
“It made me comfortable with being menopausal. Because I knew there was someone in authority who knew about this and had my back. Because of that, I started verbalising how I was feeling with my colleagues because I was comfortable.”
Now when she goes through a hot flush, she jokes that is her own ‘personal summer’ and a colleague will pour her a glass of water without comment, making her feel supported. She credits her ability to cope in the workplace to her boss and colleagues:
“Having a supportive and understanding boss and colleagues who helped me have confidence in myself and let me continue to thrive. That was really important.”
Menopausal employees feel less valued and heard
Two thirds (66%) of employees currently experiencing the menopause report feeling heard ‘always’ or ‘often’ compared to 85% of younger men.
There is an observed drop in feeling like a valued team member among those experiencing the menopause – but also among older men. This highlights that while menopause does appear to play some role in employees’ perception of their value, ageism in the workplace is also a factor.
Menopause status impacts on relationships with managers
Menopausal women and trans men perceive a lower quality of relationship with their colleagues and managers compared to men and those not experiencing the menopause. Employees currently experiencing the menopause have the lowest scores when it comes to saying that they can always or often speak to their manager about their concerns, at just 58%, compared to younger men who have the highest at 73%.
Menopause affects confidence – but not ability
Although the symptoms of the menopause transition can present real challenges to employees in the workplace, the women in the study showed determination to perform well. When compared to men and women who have not yet experienced the menopause, employees experiencing the menopause rated their job performance no worse or better over the past month.
To manage the impact of their symptoms on their jobs, many women in the focus groups described coping strategies they had developed, such as: starting early or finishing late to be able to take breaks during the day; avoiding scheduling meetings at the time of day they knew their brain fog was at its worst; and writing post-it notes with key information around their computer.