Dealing with the trip wires on the ‘M word’

It’s time to push play on the menopause discussion in the office.

Time for the debate. Picture: iStock

There’s an urgent issue in modern workplaces that has, ironically, been around since the start of time. But that doesn’t mean it’s being discussed or addressed.

The issue, if effectively addressed by employers, can boost every success metric in an organisation, positively impacting talent attraction and retention, productivity, brand reputation and financial performance.

We’re talking about the “M word” – menopause – an invisible trip wire in many people’s careers that has, until very recently, been a taboo topic.

The natural biological experience of women (and trans men) going through menopause has typically been stigmatised and poorly understood by everyone, often including those going through it.

Generations of women in the workforce have suffered in silence, even going as far as to call it quits. This has robbed the nation of their time, talent, and expertise. Employers have had little understanding of why they’ve left or where they went.

Consider this: women make up just under half of the Australian workforce. Around 78 per cent of women aged between 45 and 54 years (the average age of perimenopause) are within the workforce, and many are near or at the peak of their careers.

Yet, research from the UK’s Fawcett society tells us that 90 per cent find menopause interferes with their work, and half claim they are less likely to apply for a promotion.

Meanwhile, 45 per cent say they are considering retiring or taking a break from work on a semi-permanent basis. Many women feel that the physical and cognitive symptoms of menopause like insomnia or brain fog mean they can no longer thrive.

This is detrimental to the economy and business, and clearly to the women themselves. We’re in an evolutionary biology time warp where we are living and working decades longer than our forebears, yet menopause has not shifted to later in life. The real kicker is that we can dramatically stem this brain drain by taking a more educated and open approach to menopause in the workplace.

Employers can’t change human biology, nor do they have a role to play in any therapeutic or medical interventions. But what every employer on the planet can do now is show their workforce that they care about health in all its forms. All it requires is action across three key areas.

The first involves embedding menopause awareness into culture through communication and training. This necessarily starts with those at the top – including CEOs and prominent leaders (male and female) – becoming comfortable with dropping the M Word. People going through it can’t possibly feel supported if the issue isn’t being treated by leadership as a mainstream workplace talent issue.

Formal and informal information sessions, and ready access to quality resources on an intranet, can help people of all ages and genders become more comfortable with discussing and learning about menopause. Within our firm we’ve held knowledge sharing and group coaching sessions and are rolling out regular “menopause cafe” gatherings, providing a safe space for people to learn and share their experiences openly and casually.

The second key area involves promoting flexibility in work arrangements. While many Australian organisations offer flexible and hybrid working arrangements, they don’t always encourage their people to use these arrangements in ways that really benefit them.

For example, introducing “wellness days” in addition to, or instead of, “sick days” encourages staff to take time off to look after themselves, not just manage an illness (noting importantly that menopause is not an illness).

This is tremendously reassuring for people who need to consult widely in the medical profession to address the multitude of menopausal symptoms.

The third key area is to make the physical work environment more accommodating. What this looks like varies from job to job, but the goal should always be helping people feel comfortable and able to do their job. This could involve providing more breathable uniforms or desk fans to help employees dealing with hot flushes.

Some women who’ve reached the peak of their careers may wonder why highlighting what might feel like a vulnerability in a woman’s makeup is helpful when we still struggle to create an even playing field.

Our contention is simple: times have changed; the human condition, the whole person, is being embraced in every other respect. Advancing in today’s global economy requires a fully inclusive environment where diversity is celebrated and well understood.

In the not-too-distant future, we posit there won’t be a single CEO leading a successful organisation in Australia who recoils from, or even just queries, “why is this a workplace issue?”.

Leading organisations are getting their collective head around the issue and forging ahead with the best of business and human objectives. Together with new thinking and advanced approaches by the medical profession, we hope current and future generations of women can stay in the workforce as long as they so desire – and thrive.

Katherine Milesi is a strategic adviser to Deloitte Australia and its former deputy chair; Karen Stein is a partner at Deloitte Australia.