Healthcare has always been a part of Menopause Friendly Australia founder Grace Molloy’s life. Her dad was an obstetrician, her mum was a midwife, and Molloy herself has a Masters in nursing and experience working as a registered nurse.
Yet when she reached perimenopause, she had no idea what was happening to her.
So much secrecy surrounds menopause and perimenopause that it is making some women feel excluded from the workplace. According to recent data from Molloy’s organisation Menopause Friendly Australia, in partnership with Dove, more than half of women aged 35-60 (55 per cent) who are experiencing symptoms feel burnt out, and 45 per cent feel they weren’t performing their best work.
The Dove Menopause Insight (DMI) study revealed a lot of women had negative experiences at work whilst dealing with symptoms, which include hot flushes, irritability, brain fog, and exhaustion – just to name a few.
The common experiences of women going through menopause, highlighted in the DMI research, included stress and anxiety (56 per cent), low confidence (46 per cent) and low self-esteem (44 per cent).
To deal with all of this, more than a quarter (26 per cent) of women reported that they wanted to take time off work to manage their symptoms – but were unable to.
The majority of women want to see changes in workplaces to support them as they experience symptoms of menopause. In fact, only 31 per cent said their workplace offers flexible working arrangements, while just 8 per cent said they have menopause awareness training at work, and only 7 per cent have access to menopause leave.
Menopause Friendly Australia, led by CEO Grace Molloy, is one of the organisations advocating for workplace policies that support women during menopause.
In light of the DMI research, Dove and Molloy’s organisation have created a toolkit for workplaces to make it easier for people to have these important conversations around menopause at work.
The toolkit will consist of downloadable policy templates for businesses to tailor to their own needs, conversation guides and prompts to initiate menopause conversations with managers and employees (from both perspectives), symptom tracker, myths and facts about perimenopause and menopause and a checklist for businesses to compare how menopause friendly their workplace is.
In this Q+A, Grace Molloy speaks with Women’s Agenda about the changes needed in workplaces to accommodate women who experience symptoms of menopause and perimenopause.
What are some ways that menopause impacts women at work?
Most women don’t know the basic facts about menopause, making difficult to identify hormonal changes as a potential cause for not feeling well. We’re not taught about menopause in school, we’re not taught about it by our parents, and even as a registered nurse, I wasn’t taught about it in my training. I think it’s kind of ridiculous that something that is going to happen to 50% of the population is still shrouded in secrecy. So many women are finding it hard to get information.
They are also leaving or scaling back their work, because they are feeling overwhelmed by menopause symptoms that can come up in midlife, both physical and psychological. They don’t know where to turn for help. Some may feel their stressful work environment is the cause, so they opt out, retire early or scale back their hours to manage symptoms, not realising that there’s help and support available for them.
What are some common misconceptions about menopause?
One of the main misconceptions about menopause is that only it happens to older women, in their 50s and 60s,in reality, it happens a lot earlier than we think, often in our 30s. Another misconception is that it’s just hot flushes, when in fact there are many symptoms, and they can start in ways that we might not expect. I often joke that one of the symptoms of menopause is “an inability to cope with incompetence”, but seriously, managing the sudden onset of rage can be a challenge for many women! We can experience things like brain fog, sudden mood changes, increased stress and anxiety a general sense that we’re just not ourselves. This can really impact our confidence and self-esteem, particularly at work.
Our research with Dove revealed that 44 per cent of people felt they had lower self-esteem as they experienced symptoms of menopause. It’s really important that we raise awareness for menopause, bring it out into the open, so that people can identify it and know where to get support before their symptoms get too bad.
Why do you think companies and perhaps women as well are hesitant to have candid conversations about menopause?
If you think about menopause, it’s signalling that we’re getting older, and I don’t think we value ageing particularly in Australia. We are told to stay youthful and appear vibrant and relevant.
Often people don’t associate menopause with very positive things. When we run our training sessions at Menopause Friendly Australia, we ask: “What words do you associate with menopause?” And in the DMI research that we’ve done with Dove, we also asked that question.
Sadly, it’s hard to find a positive word in the list of responses; “sweaty, grumpy, old, tired, moody, invisible”. People don’t want to associate themselves with those negative words. We don’t want to be overlooked in the workplace (or in life) and be put out to pasture as a “past our prime”. That’s why it’s so important to break open some of this taboo to share that menopause is normal and we are still capable, powerful and valuable. We need to challenge the narrative that menopause is always a negative experience and celebrate some of the positives of being in this life stage.
What is the role of workplaces/companies/organisations in supporting women through menopause? How can they do so?
Employers can make a significant difference to improving how women experience menopause since 81% of us will be working through our menopause transition.
It’s got to start from the top with leaders opening the conversation. Leaders need to step up and say: this is impacting our business, and we take it seriously. This is particularly powerful when it comes from men, demonstrating that everyone needs to know about menopause. Openly showing that the conversation is welcome in their workplace helps to break down any stigma or taboo and encourages others to talk openly.
The second thing is making a genuine commitment to meaningful and lasting change. Rather than celebrating World Menopause Day with a morning tea and cupcakes, develop a program that will genuinely support everyone across the organisation. Menopause Friendly membership helps with this by providing a framework based on research and best-practice. You don’t need to have all the answers, you just need to make a commitment and take the first step towards change. Every workplace is different, so each must take an individualised approach based on the needs of their employees. Ask your people what would be most helpful for them. It may be adjustments to your working facilities, uniform design for women, temperature control, and flexible working arrangements. Formalise this support in a policy or guidance so everyone knows what help is available and where to access it. We’ve made this easier by partnering with Dove to make a menopause policy template available at www.dove.com/menopause.
Finally, training is really important. We’re asking managers, often men, to have a conversation about something they may know nothing about. It’s difficult to empathise without understanding. Training is key to ensuring managers feel confident in having a supportive conversation. Start with the facts about menopause and support managers with information about what they can do to help their team members if they’re struggling. Remember most women don’t know anything about menopause either, provide evidence-based training that helps everyone understand what it is and how to have a better time through it.
Can you share examples of how companies have successfully implemented menopause-friendly policies and the positive impact it had on their workforce?
Gender equality is high on the agenda for boards and CEOs, and attracting talented women has been one of the first things organisations have noticed. One of our members included the menopause friendly committed badge in their online job ads and during an interview, their preferred candidate said the reason they applied for the role was because the committed badge signalled that they must be a great place for women to work.
Many organisations say the employee engagement they’ve seen from introducing a Menopause Friendly initiative has been phenomenal. Women value being given supportive information that’s relevant to their health and wellbeing. Many say they feel included, heard, and validated: that they have been feeling so alone in this experience and just knowing there are others going through the same thing at work makes them feel better. This goes a long way to creating a positive employer brand.
Employers tell us is they have seen a reduction in absenteeism and increase in productivity because people have been able to receive the support that they need. By raising awareness for menopause, women are having a lightbulb moment where they realise menopause and perimenopause could be the reason why they’re not feeling great. This awareness has meant people are more proactive in seeking solutions to the underlying cause of their symptoms and not continuing to just put up with them.
Do you have any advice for employers who might be feeling hesitant talking about menopause and perimenopause?
A recent Senate inquiry into menopause has put employers on notice that providing support for people experiencing menopause is no longer a nice to have, it’s essential.
The report said “All employers have a responsibility to address stigma around menopause in their workplaces. Implementing organisation wide menopause policies, promoting internal awareness for employees and managers about these issues and sharing menopause-specific workplace resources can all help to address menopause stigma.”
The committee recommendations include that Australian workplaces develop perimenopause and menopause workplace policies in consultation with their employees and that menopausal people have access to flexible working arrangements.
I think there’s a huge opportunity to reframe menopause and to celebrate this time of life. We are powerful, knowledgeable, wise, capable and fearless.
Many women tell us they feel a renewed sense of confidence and empowerment that’s come from opening up the conversation. After years of being invalidated, unseen and unheard, women are ready to stop whispering in the corridor about menopause and take control of their experience.Empower yourself to start a conversation about menopause at work, and experience the confidence boost of Dove Advanced Care deodorant when you need it the most. To find practical resources and expert information about menopause in the workplace, click here.