Menopause symptoms can have a massive impact on a woman's ability to
The average age women experience menopause is 51, but the average onset of perimenopause (the stage preceding menopause) is 40, with some women
"It's a different journey for every woman," says Pamela Smith, VP of account management at benefits consulting firm Corporate Synergies. "And sometimes women don't really understand what these symptoms are because they might start very early. They just know that it's become much more difficult to function in the workplace."
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The latest research
A new study from family health platform Maven found that these issues related to menopause are hitting women in the workplace hard. Data collected from 1,050 female employees born between 1965 and 1996 showed a third of millennials (those who were born from 1981 to 1996) and a quarter of Gen X (those born from 1965 to 1980) struggled at work because of symptoms.
Feedback provided by millennials was especially telling, with one in six reporting the severity of their symptoms promoted a switch to a less demanding career. Twenty-eight percent said they had avoided new projects and spent working hours researching how to treat their symptoms, and 19% have been unable to return to in-person office work.
"Women are making decisions based on the symptoms, but the symptom management itself hasn't been a part of the conversation," says Isha Vij, VP of employer growth at Maven. "One of the things employers [should] think about is, if you can help people manage these symptoms, [they] are much better at showing up in a professional environment the way they want to. We shouldn't let the lack of resources be a roadblock."
But for many survey respondents, this is currently the case. Maven's study shows that 29% of millennials and 26% of Gen Xers feel unsupported when it comes to managing their symptoms in the workplace, and 44% of millennials and 34% of Gen Xers have not discussed these issues for fear of being stigmatized.
Sixty percent of millennials and 35% of Gen Xers said they have not even spoken to a healthcare professional about their symptoms, some citing the inability to get time off of work for an appointment and others noting that family responsibilities made finding time difficult.
"Suffering in silence being the status quo among this group is detrimental for everybody," Vij says. "As a society, it is our responsibility to understand that, regardless of whether people are talking about it with us or not, it's happening, and we should start the dialogue of No. 1, what sort of impact are these symptoms having on our society and our workforce? And then what can we actually do about it?"
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Creating benefits and accommodations for this particular life journey is important, but for employers with millennials within their workforce, the time to act is now. This generation will make up three-quarters of the global workforce by 2025, according to project management software platform Teamstage, and the right benefits will be a big part of retention. Dialogue is picking up around this topic, but it isn't where it needs to be yet, says Vij.
"We're not talking about how you make your workplace more comfortable for the individuals experiencing these symptoms," she says. "We're not talking about access to mental health providers who are equipped to help manage their symptoms, or career coaches who are specifically trained in helping women navigate these symptoms so they don't have to be one of the six who are pumping the brakes or taking their foot off the gas — not because they want to, but because they don't feel like they have another choice."
The Maven study found that 76% of millennials and 65% of Gen Xers feel having a menopause benefit would factor into whether or not they stay with their current organization.
Employers also need to know that giving women access to specialized medical care during this part of life goes beyond improving their ability to continue working — it is an important part of their long-term health. The National Institutes of Health reports the loss of estrogen that accompanies menopause is linked to additional, more severe health effects, including increased risk of osteoporosis and heart disease. The latter is the No. 1 cause of death for women.
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What employers can do
From flexible work schedules to broad paid-time-off and leave policies, employers can allow women the time they need for health and self care without having to disclose specific details, granting them the respect of autonomy. Platforms with trained providers in menopause-related mental, physical and emotional care are another excellent resource. Employees should be able to maintain privacy if they so choose, and a company's culture should support that, notes Smith.
"If the organization is open to having personal leave, then certainly menopause leave should be included," she says. "To call that out specifically for menopause might make people feel even more uncomfortable. You can make progress meeting people where they are, and that will create an environment where employees will be more open with their employer in terms of what they need."
Making it okay to talk about menopause in the workplace is very important as well, and Vij highlights a noticeable increase in employee resource groups, which are a good way to give those with common interests a place to discuss and share their experiences with one another. In general, more communication about menopause within the workplace can help everyone feel more comfortable and informed.
Both Smith and Vij emphasize the important role employers play in becoming more informed about menopause, making the topic less taboo, and making support for the women experiencing this an integral part of their organization.
"Employers have a big opportunity to share with their employees, help them get educated on it, think about the types of resources and benefits that they can provide and offer and make sure it isn't such a stigmatized topic," Vij says.
