In a Nutshell

By Heather Gordon

1. What is menopause?

Menopause is the term that is generally used to refer to the years of women’s lives on each side of their last menstrual period. Technically speaking, this is the ‘perimenopause’. Menopause is actually defined as the time of a woman’s last menstrual period.

Menopause can occur as early as age 45 or not until 55.

Perimenopause can start from age 40 and last 15 to 20 years.

‘Premature ovarian failure’ (POF) or ‘premature menopause’ occurs before the age of 40 and can be precipitated by illnesses and medical interventions, including radiotherapy and hysterectomy.

The male equivalent to menopause is known as ‘andropause’.

2. Typical symptoms

Being aware of the typical physical and emotional symptoms will enable you to identify members of staff who may need support. Every individual’s experience of menopause is unique and possible physical or emotional symptoms include

Hot flushes

Night sweats

Poor or interrupted sleep

Weight change

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Migraine

Tiredness

Dizziness or faintness

Heart pounding

Irregular periods

Heavier/lighter periods

Breast tenderness

Abdominal bloating

Mood swings

Depression

Forgetfulness

Stress/anxiety.

3. Possible impact at work

Menopause is not a ‘soft’ issue. The range of physical and emotional symptoms that can arise during the years of menopause may have an impact on performance, attendance and relationships at work.

Hot desking may mean that a woman has nowhere to store tampons.

Protective uniform may become uncomfortable during hot flushes.

There may be similar problems for such individuals who work in ‘clean’ areas, with set break times and limited access to rest facilities for ‘cooling off’.

For women whose work involves a lot of standing, heavy bleeding can cause discomfort and embarrassment.

Some women find that the physical and emotional symptoms of menopause detract from their ability to cope with work situations, leading to stress.

Some women and men experience mood swings during the perimenopause/andropause, and this can lead to depression.

In cases where the individual experiences intense, debilitating symptoms, you may be required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ under the terms of the Disability Discrimination Act.

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4. Bullying and harassment

Women going through perimenopause, particularly those experiencing visible symptoms, can find themselves subjected to insensitive and joking remarks from colleagues or even comments about their personal hygiene.

Bullying and harassment is any action or behaviour that is deemed unacceptable by the victim.

If this type of behaviour is not addressed by the manager, it can exacerbate the victim’s menopause symptoms.

The impact on the organisation can extend to loss of team morale, lost productivity, higher rates of sickness absence and litigation.

5. Treatments

The type of treatment provided will depend on the nature and intensity of the symptoms being presented, medical history and client preferences. Treatment options include

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)

Bio-Identical Hormone Therapy

Tibolone (similar to HRT)

Clonidine

Anti-depressants

Vaginal lubricants.

6. Complementary and alternative therapies

For some women, either medical treatments are not suitable or they prefer not to use them. Complementary and alternative therapies can provide relief of symptoms. These include

Food supplements

Herbal remedies

Homeopathy

Hypnotherapy

Reflexology

Reiki

Aromatherapy

Acupuncture

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7. Practical measures

There are also practical steps that women can take to mitigate their symptoms including:

Eat a healthy diet

Exercise

Stop smoking

Limit alcohol intake.

8. Relevant legislation

Managers need to be aware of the various pieces of employment legislation that can be applied to issues with menopause:

The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, as amended

The Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, as amended, together with specific assessments for users of VDUs

The Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at Work Regulations 1992, as amended

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) may apply

The Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) 1975 may be applied where women feel that they are receiving unfair treatment or being harassed

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006

The Working Time Regulations.

9. As a manager, what do I need to do?

If you decide you need to handle the issue, make notes about clear, specific examples of, for example, increased sickness absence, poor performance and so on.

The first step is to invite the employee to come and see you for an informal chat.

At the meeting, start by reassuring the person that there is nothing ‘wrong’ and then tell them what you have observed specific facts about their behaviour, performance or attendance.

Do not mention the word ‘menopause’ unless the person tells you that that is what the issue is.

Follow up by asking them if there is anything that you can help them with or if there is anything that they want to discuss.

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