Are your managers ready to talk about the menopause

Are your managers ready to talk about the menopause

MPs in the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) are urging government to include the menopause as a protected characteristic — requiring employers to make reasonable adjustments to work condi-tions.

This, they say, will be crucial for dealing with negative attitudes towards women dealing with issues relating to the menopause, and making sure more women are able to stay in employment. “Menopau-sal women have been mocked and maligned for too long,” said the WEC chair.

Going to tribunals

In 2019, 900,000 women decided to leave their job because of a mismatch between their role and menopausal symptoms according to CIPD/Bupa research. More cases are starting to end up in court as people start to see that maybe it’s not their ‘fault’ — an employer is being unreasonable and uncaring.

HM Courts and Tribunal Service figures show a steady increase: 10 menopause-related employment tribunals in first six months of 2021 compared with 5 in 2018. Law firm Linklaters predicts 20 cases will go to tribunal in this coming year based on initial claims.

Listening first

EAPA UK chair Eugene Farrell said: “The WEC’s Menopause and the Work-place report is an important milestone in terms of changing attitudes to women in the workplace. More than ever, organisations need to find ways to keep their talent.

“Legislation provides a backbone — making sure employers have to take notice. But when it comes to the day-to-day experience of women with menopausal symptoms, what matters most is what goes on behind the ‘official’ HR processes and whether there is a feeling of trust and safety when it comes to being themselves. Do women feel they are really being listened to and understood or are they being dealt with in a mechanical way, sticking to the legal requirements?

“EAPs are so important when it comes to making sure people have someone to talk to about their tangles of work and health-related issues.”