Menopause has devastating effects in the workplace, research reveals

Research conducted by Health & Her shows that one in four women consider leaving the workplace due to menopause symptoms.

Figures suggest that perimenopause and menopause is costing UK businesses 14 million working days per year, the equivalent of £1.88 billion in lost productivity each year.

Ten per cent of women decide to leave the workforce due to menopause. In the UK, 370,000 women aged between 50 and 64 have left or considered leaving their career due to the intensity of their symptoms. Another quarter had to reduce their hours or change their working pattern entirely.

Those who stay in their jobs say that the quality of work and the overall working experience are seriously affected, with 15 per cent of them saying they have called in sick due to menopausal symptoms.

Research has also suggested that due to the difficulty of the symptoms, almost a quarter of perimenopausal women surveyed admitted to making mistakes at work, while six per cent had to skip work meetings to deal with the severity of their symptoms.

Health & Her has launched a personalised employer menopause support plan that allows employers to empower their workers with specialist advice, training and discounts on supplements and solutions.

The package offers clinic access to menopause-specialist GPs, expert advice and articles, managerial and employee training, digital tools to help track and manage menopause symptoms, and GP-led webinars designed to inform and support both menopausal women and the employees who work with and manage them.

“This support plan is a positive first step in creating workplaces that better support female employees experiencing perimenopause or menopausal symptoms,” says Kate Bache, co-founder of Health & Her.

“With the Office of National Statistics suggesting that women aged 50 to 64 are the fastest growing economically active group, businesses need to adapt and create an environment that upholds and nourishes this talented, experienced and able demographic – rather than risk losing them altogether.

“What is important to remember is that each menopause is unique,” Bache adds. “Every woman is an individual, who has an individual experience of menopause. As such, helping to support women going through perimenopause and menopause, businesses must develop a culture and policy approach that both encourages menopausal women generally and helps target their specific needs and requirements.”

To find out more about the support plan, visit healthandher.com.