Over 70 per cent of women are employed while transitioning through the natural process of menopause, equating to more than 1.6 million Australians.
So, when it comes to workplace inclusion, it’s critical that employers take a progressive lead in supporting their workers through this experience.
But the reality is that most do not, resulting in many women leaving the workforce prematurely, and/or feeling unsupported and alone with what they are experiencing.
In Australia, the average age of menopause (a person’s final period) is 51, but it’s normal to have symptoms anywhere between 45 and 55 years – although some women have it at an earlier or later age. While every person is different, symptoms can include hot flushes, vaginal changes and mood swings
Research from Macquarie University estimates that 10 per cent of women leave work prematurely due to the effects of menopause.
On World Menopause Day today, Sarah White, the CEO of Jean Hailes tells Women’s Agenda that taking an active approach to workplace flexibility is critical for employers to support people through these experiences as well as other women’s health issues.
“The active approach is needed because many women are reluctant to discuss women’s health issues, fearing their co-workers or managers won’t be understanding. Others are embarrassed to talk about subjects that have been considered culturally taboo for many years,” says White.
“We need workplace environments in which a woman can request leave to manage menopause symptoms or pelvic pain with as little fuss as the person who requests leave to manage a shoulder injury.”
Workplace gender equality
With menopause costing female workers more than $17 billion each year in lost earnings and superannuation, Aware Super is one employer taking a progressive lead on changing this statistic.
The super fund offers paid menopause leave as part of their employee benefits program, with key leave entitlements including up to 10 days leave per financial year. There’s also an option to take this leave in blocks or single days to be used for appointments, treatments or self-care days to manage menopausal symptoms.
Aware Super says they’ve made the effort to provide this support in order to better retain female leadership.
The apparel brand, Modibodi is another company taking the lead on menopause support for their employees. Back in 2021, they launched a policy entitling employees to paid leave explicitly for menstruation, menopause and miscarriage, in addition to the company’s existing sick leave entitlements.
“We’re giving employees the option to take paid leave days for either menstruation or menopause, or to choose to work from home during days when they’re feeling discomfort. We want our staff to be able to be honest about their experiences of menstruation, menopause and miscarriage by encouraging people to feel comfortable asking for support and understanding when they need it,” said CEO and Founder Kristy Chong.
For companies looking to emulate a successful menstrual and menopause wellbeing policy, the Victorian Women’s Trust- another organisation leading the way for menopausal support- has shared a template of their own policy online. It’s designed to be flexible with options for varying situations: working from home, workplace accommodations and the option to take a day’s paid leave. In the case of paid leave, employees are entitled to a maximum of 12 paid days per calendar year for menstrual or menopausal symptoms.
Research has shown that when women leave work prematurely due to the impact of menopause, it costs Australian companies more than $10 billion a year.
With such a high turnover cost for companies, Founder and CEO of Menopause Alliance Australia, Natalie Martin tells Women’s Agenda it’s critical that employers invest time to implement evidence-based support for menopause in the workplace.
“We need to reduce the risk of women exiting the workforce entirely, leaving a skill and knowledge gap we’ve worked so hard to bridge,” says Martin, adding that this starts with ensuring a greater understanding and appreciation for menopause– something employers can gain when they work with organisations like Menopause Alliance Australia to be recognised as ‘menopause inclusive’.
“Enabling women to stay in the workforce despite menopausal symptoms is essential to gender equality, retaining and developing talent in the workplace,” Martin says.
Diverse and multicultural support
Another key to inclusivity in the workplace is actively ensuring that the menopause support offered is fit to serve diverse communities— including those that are culturally and linguistically diverse, members of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and women who live with intellectual disability.
Raising awareness of this, in line with World Menopause Day, the NSW government has today released an online Perimenopause and Menopause Toolkit with free resources that include a menopause symptoms checklist and podcast series about common symptoms of perimenopause and menopause. To support access to diverse communities, it’s translated into eight different languages– Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Hindi, Filipino, Greek and Spanish.
“The toolkit has been designed with the awareness that every woman will have a difference experience as they transition through this phase of life and support will look different for everyone,” Minister for Women, Jodie Harrison tells Women’s Agenda.
“There is also a bespoke campaign specifically designed for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities which includes a culturally appropriate poster, social media assets and animated video,” she says.
The campaign is part of the NSW government’s commitment of $37.3 million over the next four years to improve access to expert advice for women experiencing severe or complex menopausal symptoms.
Managers and employees can access these resources to help navigate menopause in the workplace and break taboos on the subject.