How can Occupational Health help those experiencing menopause?

UKIM's Lead Occupational Health Advisor, Laura Sharp, explains how occupational health can help those experiencing menopause...

"Perimenopause and menopause can present women with a variety of symptoms relating to sleep and concentration which can have a negative impact on work. Women are working longer and longer, and retirement age has risen which means more working age women will be in the workplace experiencing peri/ menopause symptoms.

Understanding menopause's impact on sleep and work performance

We often hear people talk about sleep disturbance during this time due to symptoms such as night sweats, nightmares, and insomnia, all of which make functioning the next day a challenge.

Attempting to be at your best at work after no sleep the night before can lead to anxiety and brain fog. This can then cause a lack of confidence, especially in meeting settings or before presentations when you need to be focussed.

Can flexible working adjustments to help manage menopause symptoms?

Flexible working can aid those experiencing sleep disturbance or changes in their concentration by considering requests for “reasonable adjustments”. These can be:

• Later start times to counteract sleepless nights and general fatigue which may be felt earlier in the morning.
• Earlier finish times if struggling with afternoon fatigue.
• Working from home/ hybrid - which can limit the number of distractions that could occur when trying to focus on projects.
• Job share/ reduced hours – this may be helpful if a person is feeling overwhelmed by their role but still wants to remain at work – lightening the workload could be beneficial.
• Career breaks – job role is kept open for an agreed period as does not feel they want to be off sick but are not able to manage their symptoms at work.

How to Record Menopause-Related Sickness Effectively 

Considerations should also be made regarding how menopause related sickness is recorded as it may be beneficial to record it separately to relieve the pressure of multiple absences and the consequences of this. Providing women with symptoms, longer time periods to improve in their attendance or performance would also ensure that they are listened to and supported to remain at work.

Women should be encouraged to feel comfortable speaking to their line managers about their symptoms and the impact that it has on their working lives. There should be a clear request process that allows them to include their symptoms as the reason for the flexible working request.

Providing women with flexible working options ensure they feel valued as an employee and could help to reduce sickness absence and boost company retention."