Tips on how to support women experiencing menopause in the education sector

Experts Share Tips On How To Support Women Experiencing Menopause In The Education Sector.

• With over two million education workers aged between 50-64, menopause could have a huge impact on females working within the field
• Experts at Healthily have shared tips for employers to better support women experiencing menopause symptoms within the workplace
• As the media continue to highlight the negative experiences some women have suffered when going through menopause at work, it’s important that organisations understand how they can help workers.

With menopause affecting most women aged between 45-55, the importance of supporting employees experiencing symptoms in the workplace is paramount.  

With over 2 million (2,281,000) females aged between 50-64, working in the education sector (public admin, education, and health), it’s important that workers within the industry are supported within the workplace.

With reports across the country highlighting the experiences some women are having when experiencing menopause (which include having to leave jobs, or take unpaid leave), Healthily, have pulled together tips for businesses and organisations that are looking to better support their employees.

Symptoms of menopause can often include hot flushes, headaches, and anxiety, along with a number of other less common symptoms like problems with memory and concentration. These symptoms are very likely to have an impact on an individual’s mindset and in turn could go on to impact an employee’s performance.  

There are several things that workplaces can put in place to help women that are experiencing symptoms:

Temperature control

Hot flushes are known to be one of the main symptoms of menopause, therefore having a comfortable temperature can help, chilled water and desk fans are also a good way to further support.

Flexible working

Difficulty sleeping can no doubt impact an individual’s concentration levels throughout the day, and as this is also a common symptom of menopause, encouraging flexible working where possible and a change in hours or coworking could really help an individual.

Offering reduced hours for a period of time may also be beneficial.  

Information sessions

Knowledge and education around menopause need to be improved, and this is currently highlighted within the media. Having expert-led sessions on the subject will help build further understanding. These should aim to increase awareness and provide information on the subject areas. Encouraging managers to attend these is crucial to helping support all staff members.   

Geraldine Butler-Wright, Chief People and Culture Officer, at Healthily:

“Menopause in the workplace is a huge topic within the media at the moment and some of the stories from women are very disheartening to hear.

“We introduced our policy to not only help support our colleagues that are going through menopause, but to also educate our managers who may not have huge amounts of knowledge on the subject.

“At healthily we encourage our staff to speak to their line manager, or HR teams if they’re experiencing any of the symptoms of menopause. From this, we can then work together to ensure they are fully supported within their role and have access to everything they need.”