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Enhancing effectiveness in the workplace often focuses on helping employees communicate better. Regardless of our own skill set at communicating, we are all limited by the parameters of what is considered “OK” to discuss at work. While we’ve all adjusted to talking more frankly about a wide range of issues, particularly around diversity, equity, and inclusion topics, some subjects are only recently coming to light as having a huge impact on a business’ success but still remain unofficially taboo.
One such topic is menopause. Many companies are seeing a loss of senior women in the workplace as those women reach this phase of life. Data from the UK and Ireland indicates that 10-12% of menopausal women leave the workforce due to their symptoms and in excess of a third consider giving up work or cutting back. Might your company be better served if your teams could discuss the topic more openly, and address more directly the issues women face to remain present during this personal transition. We should note that while workplace efficiency is important, the overall mental health of women matters so much more. The highest suicide rate for women in the US, by far, is for women between the ages of 45 and 64, the age of perimenopause and menopause, a very telling statistic. Every individual suicide is horrific. Every mental health trend should be analyzed and scrutinized for signs on how to improve support and guidance.
Dr. Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz is a practicing OB-GYN, a Diplomat of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the author of Menopause Bootcamp: Optimize Your Health, Empower Yourself, and Flourish as You Age (Harper Wave, October 2022). She has spent years advocating for women’s health concerns. According to Dr. Gilberg-Lenz, “Misogyny and ageism had a child and named it menopause.” She offers guidance on how to raise this topic comfortably at work.
1. Share information.
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As teenagers, we were all inundated with how puberty would impact our bodies, minds, and spirits. Ideally, we learned about not just what would happen to our sex, but to how the other half of the room might also be experiencing these changes. We were encouraged to learn more, ask more questions, accept that we are going through a hugely unsettling part of our lives, and get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Now, decades later, as women experience menopause and men stand by either oblivious or confused watching their partners and co-workers sometimes act out-of-character, that same level of acknowledgement and awareness is missing. We’re all adults now, so we don’t need the same hyper-focus on menopause that we did on puberty in middle school, but we do need to make it safe, natural, and matter-of-fact to discuss the topic. In Dr. Gilbert-Lenz’ view, “we need to destigmatize talking about menopause.”
This means integrating information about menopause and perimenopause into regular conversations about mental health and workplace support issues.
2. Create a physical space for women when they need a moment.
Workplaces have made huge strides at providing private spaces for nursing mothers. Statistics show that there are far more perimenopausal and menopausal women in the workplace than there are women who are breastfeeding. Expanding the purpose or rooms already set aside for privacy and equipping them with fans, air conditioning, cold water, a cooling mist machine or simply a place to lie down for a few minutes would acknowledge this issue for woman and actually make their lives a bit more bearable as they go through this phase of life.
3. Ask people what would be helpful to them.
As with any physiological change, menopause impacts each woman somewhat differently. For small companies and for managers of a small team within a large company, the best way to know how to help someone through this transition is to simply ask. Raising the issue either one-on-one with someone or more broadly with a team helps to counter the general sense that discussing the topic is off limits. You’ll be best served to speak with your HR department to understand how to raise the issue appropriately and diplomatically, the way you would any personnel issue.
4. Create flexibility
Because each woman experiences menopause differently, some may need more flexibility than others. The pandemic changed the way we worked and the way we viewed working remotely. As we segue back to being in the office more frequently, where menopausal women may not have control of their environment, it’s important we provide women at this stage of life the flexibility to address their needs regularly.
5. Create open discussions at work.
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Dr. Gilberg-Lenz’ book provides guidance on how to create what she calls a “menopause bootcamp” at work. Other methods exist for raising awareness as well. Michele Smith, a New York-based business consultant (and, full disclosure, my colleague), has no medical training, but a deep commitment for solving problems and the creative spirit that gets things done. When she realized how menopause was impacting her and many around her, she wanted to heighten awareness of the issue. She contacted the US-based group Let’s Talk Menopause and devised Stride by Stride, a “virtual walkathon.” For the month of October, participants will raise money by committing to walking 50,000 steps.
They have now joined forces with The Perimenopause Hub and Black Women in Menopause, both based in the UK, and The Irish Menopause, based in Dublin. Their efforts will support three causes: the Women’s Brain Initiative at Weil Cornell Hospital in New York, where Dr. Lisa Mosconi is conducting research into how menopause and other factors influence women’s brains, Testosterone research conducted by The Menopause Hub, and Lets Talk Menopause awareness campaigns.
Communicating more effectively at work isn’t just about making solid eye contact or having a clear message. It’s about being open to what we communicate about. Committed experts like Dr. Gilberg-Lenz, and enthusiastic advocates like Michele Smith expand what is acceptable to discuss, and make our workplaces healthier, more holistic, and, hopefully, places that expand safety and support for everyone.
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