It goes without saying that the early years is a female-dominated workforce, so thousands of practitioners will be trying to manage their menopausal symptoms every day at work. Menopause is not an out-of-hours experience. However, it remains a taboo subject. Terminology does not yet trip off the tongue and it is rare to find it on the workplace agenda.
Menopause is an ordinary process in women’s lives, not an illness. Should it not be the norm, then, that support is readily available for this given aspect of health and wellbeing?
THE BASICS
Menopause is often used as a generic term referring to the perimenopause, menopause and post-menopause. More specifically, perimenopause is the period leading up to the menopause when symptoms begin to appear. Menopause is, in fact, just one day: the day when a year has passed since having a period. Post-menopause is the time that follows this. The average length of time for symptoms to go on is four years, but many women have some symptoms for more than ten years.
The range of symptoms is vast, including:
- insomnia and sleep disturbance
- lack of concentration, brain fog and memory problems
- hot flushes and night sweats
- low mood and depression
- anxiety and panic attacks
- low energy
- itchy skin
- hair thinning
- migraines
- loss of libido
- heavy bleeding.
Each woman’s experience is subjective in terms of their symptoms and longevity. Some women will have a dreadful time, others will barely notice anything at all and most will be somewhere between the two. There is no such thing as a stereotypical menopause.
Any one of the symptoms would be challenging at any time of life and could require support at work or taking some time off. A whole host of them is a new level of challenge.
WORKPLACE IMPACT
Former head teacher Bretta Townend-Jowitt is a consultant with a special interest in staff wellbeing. Appearing on Schools SOS Radio (January 2021), she clarified, ‘Menopause is a normal part of women’s lives and as such is an equality and occupational health and safety issue where women need flexibility and support during this time of change.’
She speaks frankly about the significant lack of knowledge about the menopause and the impact its symptoms can have. ‘It is rarely spoken about in the workplace unless through jokes and banter,’ says Ms Townend-Jowitt. ‘We need to start speaking up, challenging negative menopausal stereotypes and encouraging our friends and colleagues to do the same. We need to develop a positive attitude towards the menopause.’
She feels strongly that women should not have to resign due to this issue; instead adjustments should be made to the working environment so that staff can be valued and retained. This should also help reduce time taken off work for menopausal symptoms. She outlines some of the practicalities that need taking into consideration so that the workplace does not exacerbate symptoms, including:
- being able to open windows (not always as straightforward as it sounds)
- leaving doors open
- regulating the temperature and optimising ventilation
- providing fans and fitting blinds
- having access to toilet and washing facilities outside of break and lunch times (requiring a system of cover).
Although these may appear straightforward, they can be tricky to navigate and need time and thought to implement.
TAKING ACTION
ACAS provides a comprehensive online guide to the menopause at work (see Further information). It includes detailed information on the menopause; symptoms; the impact it can have on employees; how to support employees; and how solutions can be found by the employer and employee.
The main tips ACAS highlights for employers are:
- creating and implementing a menopause policy
- providing awareness training for managers to deal with any concerns in a sensitive way
- creating an open and trusted culture within the team
- making changes where possible, such as altering working hours
- implementing low-cost environmental changes, such as providing fans
- being aware of employment laws that can relate to menopause issues at work, such as the risk of sex, disability or age discrimination.
Meg Mathews, who campaigns to break the stigma of menopause and founded https://megsmenopause.com, says, ‘ACAS’s guidance will help give employers the knowledge they need to fully understand their colleagues who are going through the menopause and struggling with symptoms. Also, it gives employees the necessary tools to feel confident in approaching their employers if they are suffering from symptoms related to the menopause, taking away the fear and worry of speaking openly about their symptom in a safe environment.’
CAREFUL HANDLING
Working with young children is undeniably a tiring profession. Working with young children while having menopausal symptoms is even more tiring, if not exhausting. Unlike some professionals, early years practitioners are generally not able to go off and ‘hide’ for a while or take spontaneous breaks for their care needs.
As said above, developing awareness and knowledge of the menopause is an essential starting point if progress is going to be made in taking the taboo out of menopause. For the workplace to be receptive to the menopause and its vagaries, training should be available to all staff and governing bodies, not just leaders. Indeed, many senior leaders in the EYFS will be women of menopausal age – their needs too must be taken care of. Equally, many staff are relatively young and may not have been exposed to this issue.
It must also be remembered that menopause is a personal issue, sensitive for many. As such, it is delicate and in need of careful handling. For instance, not all women will want to speak out as or be known as ‘menopausal’. Others will want, or need, this.
It should be a given that women of menopausal age need to feel that support is readily available at work. Women should not have to face embarrassment and guilt at asking for it: help should be the norm.
Finally, isn’t it curious that ventilation is now a pressing issue in workplaces due to the pandemic? It wasn’t high on the agenda before, despite menopause having been around a lot longer than Covid-19…
CASE STUDIES
Victoria
‘As a trainee teacher I unexpectedly crashed into the perimenopause with strong physical and mental symptoms,’ says Victoria. ‘The stress of standing in front of a class while being observed triggered more extreme hot flushes and fear. I was 43 and didn’t know anyone who was experiencing the same thing. The other strange physical symptoms like dry eyes were all more severe when in the classroom. I felt like I had to deal with this on my own as there was no visible support – mentally this was tough, and HRT saved me. It wasn’t until my second year of teaching that the subject came up with colleagues and we started to share experiences and advice. This made a huge difference. It didn’t occur to us then that the college could have offered support.’
Victoria thinks it is important not only to have a menopause policy but an employee resource group or network for menopausal women. This would both provide support for colleagues and help break the taboos surrounding menopause. ‘In small schools there could be collaborative groups across areas or MATs,’ she suggests. ‘This is really about ensuring that women going through the menopause can still thrive in their workplace. Overall, this should be part of a wellbeing policy in all educational establishments.’
Sofia
‘I had a terrible three-year experience with extremely heavy bleeding,’ says Sofia, a trainee teacher. ‘The GP told me it was “Mother Nature”. I used to wear two pads and another pair of knickers with two pads. Some days I would lean towards a child and leak so that my clothes were blood-stained.’
She ended up not going into work, which resulted in her being given a warning by HR. For Sofia, the whole situation was embarrassing and isolating. Though she needed to go home to change her clothing, she was never asked if she needed help. ‘I did mention to the school how I was spending £30 a week on sanitary towels, but still no-one asked me how I was,’ she says. ‘I just resigned myself to it being “women’s troubles” that nobody liked to talk about.’
If someone had taken an interest and shown some basic curiosity, then Sofia’s life might have been made a little easier. Being listened to and understood never makes a problem worse.
Further information
- Guidance for employers to help manage the impact of menopause at work, ACAS: https://bit.ly/2TcuqF3
- Caroline Vollans is the author of Menopause: 35 Women Speak, available from Amazon