The Importance of Normalizing Menopause in the Workplace
Introduction
In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the way we talk about menopause. What was once a topic of whispers in the shadows has now become a subject of discussion in various forms of media, including documentaries, newspaper articles, and television shows. This increased awareness and visibility of menopause has been instrumental in normalizing and destigmatizing the experience of women in middle and old age. By openly discussing menopause, we are not only reducing the taboo nature of this natural phase in a woman’s life but also addressing its impact on women’s engagement in the workforce.
The Impact of Menopause on Women’s Work Life
Perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopausal symptoms can significantly change the way women engage in their jobs. The transition into menopause can bring about various physical and emotional symptoms that may affect productivity and overall well-being. In fact, recent reports estimate that 10% of women leave paid work, and 14 million workdays are lost annually due to menopause symptoms.
The Power of Informal Social Networks
When it comes to managing menopause symptoms in the workplace, informal social networks play a crucial role. These networks provide women with the necessary support for their health and well-being, both generally and specifically during menopause. Research has shown that women often feel more supported by other women who have had a similar experience. Creating a culture of support and understanding is key to ensuring that women feel valued and heard in the workplace.
The Need for Organizational Support
While informal social support is vital, organizations must explicitly offer menopause, health, and well-being support. By providing formal organizational support, companies can contribute to an environment that promotes inclusivity and care for women going through menopause. Sustainability of support is crucial, and initiatives must be in place to ensure long-term assistance for women.
What Does Social Support in the Workplace Look Like?
When it comes to workplace support, both informal and formal approaches can be effective. Informal support can involve activities like lunchtime walks, allowing women to connect with colleagues who may have relevant experiences. These activities can be announced internally, without any formal disclosure about menopause symptoms, and become a regular part of the work month.
Formal organizational support, on the other hand, can include raising awareness about menopause and creating a sense of community. Companies can offer webinars or expert speaker sessions to provide evidence-based information about menopause and related health topics. Additionally, flexible working arrangements should be available to women, as this is a legal right that enables women to manage their symptoms effectively.
Post-COVID Hybrid Working Practices
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about changes in working practices, with hybrid work becoming more prevalent. Research suggests that most women can better manage menopause symptoms at home by controlling their time, temperature, and taking baths. However, relying solely on hybrid working as a solution may unintentionally reinforce the taboo nature of menopause. It is essential to provide individual and sustainable support that addresses the unique needs of each woman.
Factors Affecting Successful Organizational Support
The success and sustainability of organizational support for menopause and women’s health depend on various factors. The industry and organizational culture play a significant role in determining the effectiveness of support initiatives. Additionally, supportive team cultures and knowledgeable line managers are crucial factors. Organizations that offer positive menopause stories and high-level, visible, and credible role models are making strides towards promoting women’s health and well-being in the workplace.
Expanding on the Topic: Empowering Women Through Education and Advocacy
In addition to the importance of workplace support, empowering women through education and advocacy is essential. It is crucial to provide women with accurate information about menopause symptoms and help them understand the differences between menopause and other aging-related changes. This knowledge empowers women to seek help and manage their symptoms effectively.
Furthermore, it is vital to advocate for change not only in the media but also in every workplace. By fostering open discussions and creating a supportive environment, we can ensure that menopause is no longer a taboo subject. This cultural shift requires the active participation of individuals, organizations, and society as a whole.
Conclusion
The journey towards normalizing menopause in the workplace has come a long way, but there is still work to be done. By openly discussing menopause and providing support at both the informal and organizational levels, we can create a culture of understanding and inclusivity. Empowering women through education and advocacy is also critical to ensuring that they have the knowledge and resources to manage their symptoms effectively. Together, we can break the stigma surrounding menopause and support women in their health and well-being journey.
Summary
The health and well-being of women in middle and old age, particularly during menopause, have become significant topics of discussion in recent years. Increased awareness through various forms of media has played a crucial role in normalizing and destigmatizing menopause. Menopause can significantly impact women’s engagement in the workforce, with many experiencing physical and emotional symptoms that affect productivity. Informal social networks and formal organizational support are necessary to help women manage their symptoms effectively. Formal support can involve raising awareness about menopause and offering flexible working arrangements. Post-COVID hybrid working practices present new challenges, and individual and sustainable support is crucial. Factors such as industry, organizational culture, and team dynamics influence the success of support initiatives. Empowering women through education and advocacy is equally important. By fostering open discussions and creating supportive environments, we can break the taboo surrounding menopause and promote women’s health and well-being in the workplace.
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In recent years, the health and well-being of women in middle and old age has gone from a topic of whispers in the shadows to a topic of discussion. documentaries, newspaper articles and breakfasts television discussions.
This “celebrity endorsement” of menopause is normalize and destigmatize it through greater awareness. It means we’re talking about menopause more than ever and it’s also helping reduce taboo nature of menopause at work.
This is crucial since perimenopause (which precedes menopause), menopause (the point at which you haven’t had a period for 12 months), and postmenopausal symptoms can really change the way women engage in job. Recent reports estimate that 10% of women leave paid work and 14 million Workdays are lost annually due to menopause symptoms.
My research on Support healthy aging at work. shows that when women have to manage menopause symptoms in the workplace, informal social networks are one of the most crucial ways to do it. This is the most direct way for women to feel supported in the workplace in terms of their health and well-being generally, but also specifically during menopause. I have found that women often feel more supported by other women with a similar experience.
This article is part of Women’s health matters, a series about the health and well-being of women and girls around the world. From menopause to miscarriage, from pleasure to pain, articles in this series will delve into the full spectrum of women’s health issues to provide valuable information, knowledge, and resources for women of all ages.
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There is ambiguity in the health and well-being of women in midlife and old age. In one study of more than 1,000 women, 51% said they do not understand menopause symptoms well enough to know how to seek help. My research has also found that women often cannot separate the symptoms of menopause from the effects of stress, sleep disruption, anxiety, depression, aging and the general impact of middle age on the mind and body. body.
A workplace may also suffer from a culture of ageism (discrimination against women and older women). This can prevent employees from engaging in conversations about menopause. It could also create a desire for less formality among women who do want to have these conversations.
Informal social supports (chatting with colleagues or creating informal groups to talk) are very effective for women. But it does put the responsibility for maintaining health and well-being on the woman herself and not on the organization, which ultimately benefits from her productivity.
My research shows the need for organizations to explicitly offer menopause, health and wellbeing support. Sustainability of support is also crucial when implementing both informal social support and formal organizational support.
What should social support in the workplace look like?
Informal support might involve something like a lunchtime walk. This is a way to attract women to interact with a community of people at work with relevant experience. These can be announced internally and do not require any formal disclosure in the workplace about menopause symptoms. These sessions, set at a regular time each month, can become a standard part of the work month. Word of mouth could also help reach those who might be reluctant to participate in a more formal activity.
On the other hand, formal organizational support could include raising awareness about menopause, which can also build a sense of community. Workplace support, such as flexible working, is a legal right, so women can reasonably expect their employer to provide them with resources to support raising awareness. And this should extend to the workplace as a whole: menopause affects women, but everyone should be aware and able to talk about it.
For example, companies could offer webinars (in my experience, 50 minutes is usually a good length) in which expert speakers discuss menopause or other health-related topics. This helps raise evidence-based awareness. Webinars can be recorded so that people can view them in their own time, although live participation is desirable, particularly with a question and answer session.
Images from Monkey Business/Shutterstock
Of course, supporting wellbeing at work has become even more complex due to post-COVID hybrid working practices. In fact, my research has shown that most women can better manage menopause symptoms at home, thanks to the “three T’s” of menopause support: time, temperature, and baths. If a menopausal woman has control over these aspects wherever she works, this is likely to have a positive impact on her overall experience of menopause.
However, once again, this places the responsibility for managing health and wellbeing on the individual. The concern here is that structures that create the expectation that women will better cope with symptoms through hybrid working risk inadvertently reinforcing the taboo of menopause as something to be managed in the shadows.
Individual and sustainable support
Additionally, while organizations can and should develop initiatives to support health and wellbeing in the workplace, it is important to remember that the experience of issues such as menopause is highly individualized: women can experience many different types of symptoms or , sometimes none at all.
Successful and sustainable organizational support will depend on a variety of factors, including the industry (is it “masculinized”?) and whether the organizational culture is open to issues such as health information disclosure. Additionally, the team culture should be supportive and line managers should ideally be approachable and knowledgeable.
Workplace support systems for women’s health and well-being that reach every person are more likely to be sustainable. Organizations that offer positive menopause stories and high-level, visible and credible role models will take an important step towards women’s health and well-being in the workplace. Progress in this area depends on advocates for change, not just on television but in every workplace.
https://theconversation.com/why-its-good-to-talk-about-womens-health-at-work-according-to-research-212591
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