5 Ways Employers Can Support Employees With Menopause
Through flexible arrangements of health benefits, leave policies, and even office seating; employers can make the management of menopause symptoms much easier for their employees. Without proper support, employers are at risk of losing experienced talents who are at the top of their game.
In this Pacific Prime UK article, we dive into the importance of employer support for menopausal employees and 5 ways employers can ensure their workplace and their benefits package truly support employees going through menopause.
Why Corporates Need To Rethink Its Benefits Package for Employees With Menopause
According to the NHS, menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce. Without proper support for menopause syndromes, employers are at risk of losing both money and talents who are at the top of their game.
Menopause generally affects anyone who has periods around the age of 45-55. While the first thing that comes to people’s mind when discussing menopause is one no longer has a period, menopause symptoms can be wide-ranging and involve both physical and mental symptoms.
Some physical symptoms of menopause include:
- Hot flushes
- Difficulty sleeping and night sweats
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches and migraines
- Muscle aches and joint pains
- Changed body shape and weight gain
Some mental health symptoms of menopause include:
- Mood swings
- Brain fog or problems with memory and concentration
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
Certain health risks might also increase following menopause such as heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis.
For many employees, the age of menopause will overlap with the age when one assumes a senior position in their professional life.
This means that, without proper support, organizations are at risk of losing talents with experience and institutional knowledge that could take years to replace.
In a survey of 1,000 adults in the UK by the British Menopause Society, 45% of women reported that they could feel a negative impact of menopause on their work and 47% of those who needed to take their day off due to menopause symptoms would not tell the real reason to their employers.
The Menopause Society of North America also estimated that unsupported menopause syndromes can cost employers roughly 1.8 billion USD from healthcare costs, missed workdays, reduced productivity, and early retirement.
Hence, there is a growing call for employers to revisit their benefits package and see how they can better assist employees during this major transition in life.
How You Can Support Your Employees Through Menopause
There are many ways employers can support their employees through menopause. Chief among them is to normalize the discussion of menopause in the workplace. Flexible arrangements of work hours, dress code, or even office seating can be vastly helpful for employees with menopause as well.
Remove Shame and Stigma
One of the very first steps any employer can take to help their employees with menopause is to address the stigma around menopause and remove it, which can be done through awareness campaigns.
BMO, an American national bank, has launched webinars featuring medical experts to raise awareness and create a safe space for employees to safely discuss women’s health issues such as menopause, fertility, and neurodivergent conditions.
Menopause is not only a gendered issue, but also an age-equity issue. Women who speak up about their menopause symptoms risk not only mistreatment due to their gender but also their age, stressing the importance of awareness campaigns to remove such stigmas from the workplace.
Rethink Medical Benefits for Employees With Menopause
Menopause affects anyone with periods physically and mentally. Certain health risks may also increase after menopause. Employee medical benefits must be able to reflect these healthcare needs.
Employee Assistance Programs and mental health coverage can be helpful for employees navigating anxiety and mood swings as a result of menopause. Some may need hormone replacement therapy to manage their symptoms.
If your organization has benefits packages that already reflect their needs, it is important that these benefits are communicated clearly to the employees and that they know that there is already a resource for them to seek help.
Loosening the Dress Code
For companies with a dress code, you could consider a flexible dress code policy that allows your employees to, for example, dress a bit more casually on certain days of the week or when they do not have any official appointment.
Dress code can be a small detail we overlook in our office, but simply a change of garment can help employees feel more comfortable in weathering their symptoms. It might also help your office with the temperature problem, which we will discuss more in the following point.
Office Space Improvement
An option of flexible seating, private seating areas, or simply an option for employees to equip their own work desk with a fan could help manage menopause symptoms like hot flushes.
Workplace temperature adjustment has always been a sensitive politics. Offering, for example, a cool area for employees who prefer colder temperatures, or a ‘mild AC’ area for employees who always find themselves shivering can keep everyone pleased.
Or even simpler, it allows flexible seating options so employees can find the area where the temperature is just right for them. Allowing your employees to bring a small fan or a blanket to the office is also another simple solution to make sure everyone is comfortable at their desks.
Flexible Work Arrangement
Last but not least, flexible work arrangements could always be an option for many office workers. Many employees find it helpful to have a flexible work arrangement that allows them to manage their symptoms, either by having a hybrid or even full-time work-from-home schedule.
Conclusion
Employees going through menopause will likely experience different healthcare needs compared to, for example, employees who recently started a family. They might need specific mental health support to navigate mood swings or simply a cooler office to manage their hot flushes.
Their needs will be among the differing needs that each of your employees will have during each phase of their personal and professional lives. It will not be easy to find an employee benefits package that fits the bill for all of them.
This is why Pacific Prime UK, with over 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, provides brokerage services for employee benefits packages to its corporate clients.
Through our service, we help corporate clients identify and secure employee benefits packages that work best for them and their employees from top insurance and benefits package providers worldwide.
Contact our benefits package advisor today for a free employee benefits review for your company!
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