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Johannes (Joop) Smits
Partner, People and Organisation
Most companies reserve an important place for gender balance in their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) strategy as it is now widely understood to be good for business. Often, companies are specifically focused on improving the representation of women in leadership, with an increasing number committing to gender representation targets in executive compensation metrics. To do so, the focus is put on attracting, retaining, and promoting women with specific attention on measures to combine (child) caring and career. There is however much less – if not none – attention given to the symptoms of menopause and its impact on women’s wellbeing and the workplace.
Postmenopausal women are the fastest growing group of the working population. This phenomenon, highlighted by a study of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CDIP) published in 2020, reflects a trend in most developed countries. The major reason for this trend is that the female participation rate is increasing everywhere, particularly in Switzerland, where it rose from 53.4% in 1991 to 75.6% in 2020 according to the Federal Statistics Office. In addition, the working population is aging: 33.5% of the Swiss working population is 50 years old or over, the activity rate of people aged 50 to 64 being 81%.
If we combine this increase of postmenopausal women in the workforce with the productivity losses linked to menopause (attention problems, discomfort, work stoppages, etc.) estimated at more than $150 billion a year globally, we understand why companies are increasingly concerned about a topic which they had largely ignored until now.
The moment when the first symptoms of menopause appear often coincides with the time women are in the prime of their careers as the average age for the menopausal transition is between ages 45 and 55 but in some cases first symptoms can start years earlier. Although Swiss employers have not given much attention to this topic we do observe some recent developments in the UK in this respect and we intend to shed some light on how employers can address this important topic in their organisation.
Menopause: a stigmatised topic
The 2020 CIPD study showed that indeed menopausal women are the fastest-growing workforce demographic in the UK totalling almost 4.5 million employees. It is also showed that around one million of these women, have already left their jobs due to the symptoms of menopause. A 2022 poll of 2,000 women currently experiencing menopause or premenopausal symptoms across the UK, found that 18% were looking to leave their jobs because of their symptoms. The poll, conducted by Research Without Barriers, also looked at the reasons women with menopausal symptoms were looking to leave their jobs. The most common reason was the pressures put on them (42%); followed by a failure to receive the flexible working they need to manage their symptoms (39%); and a lack of understanding from management of what they are experiencing (39%).
The research also found that seven in 10 women who took time off as a result of their symptoms did not tell their employer the real reason why, while nearly three-quarters (73%) of women experiencing menopause said they did not feel able to talk openly about their symptoms with colleagues.
Similarly, a quarter (24%) of women experiencing menopause symptoms reported they were unhappy in their jobs because of a lack of support, with nearly two-thirds (63%) saying that their place of work has not introduced any kind of policy to make things easier for anyone experiencing menopause symptoms.
The good news is that many actions can be taken, relatively easily, to support women in menopause. And in most cases, it starts with education. Having been such a taboo subject, menopausal symptoms are widely unrecognised or misunderstood by both men and women alike, and ignored altogether by employers until very recently. This problem goes far beyond the workplace and into our society and medical institutions. In the UK, for example, family doctors (GPs) receive no formal training on menopause, which can lead to misdiagnosis and a lack of support for women experiencing its symptoms.
In a labour market and a world that is crying out for more female leadership, this is something we just can’t afford to let happen anymore.
Moving towards a more empathic society and workplace
Fortunately, some progress can be reported on the medical front. In the UK, as from 2024, all new doctors will be required to complete mandatory women’s health training under the UK government’s first-ever women’s health strategy. And there is reason to be hopeful on the organisational front, too. In recent years, the topic of menopause has found its way onto the HR priority list of many progressive organisations, including our own - PwC.
What are some concrete actions companies can implement? Where should one start?
- Educate yourself and your employees. Learning about menopause and its symptoms is the first step towards a positive change. Cathy Hastie, PwC UK’s HR Transformation specialist, recently wrote a book in which she provides support and guidance for managers of menopausal women.
Another reference we recommend is Menopause Matters, which is an award-winning website on the topic. Dozens of free resources that provide comprehensive tutorials on the topic are shared. - Be an ally. Listen and support women on your team who may be suffering menopause symptoms, e.g. if someone tells you that they’re having hot flashes, help them by turning on the air conditioner. Break down the stigma by talking about it and calling out offensive comments or jokes about menopausal women.
- Proactively champion the cause at your workplace. Speak to your HR, leadership and DE&I teams and request that investments be made to help menopausal women as well as to educate colleagues and managers in your organisation. Share opportunities to learn more about managing menopause at work and point out examples of what leading organisations are doing on the topic.
What some pioneering companies are already doing about menopause
Roche in the UK
- Launched UK menopause policy in December last year
- Established a menopause group, which among other actions runs a menopause café and connects to support groups around the topic in the UK workforce
- Will be supporting and celebrating World Menopause Day with various activities to raise awareness and increase support
UBS in the UK
- Provides perimenopausal and menopause support, including a Line Manager Menopause Guide, recognising the impact on many of its employees
- Offers menopause clinics for permanent employees via its on-site medical team
- Runs all-employee sessions with an external provider to demystify both the medical and non-medical aspects of menopause
PwC in the UK
- Established a Menopause Matters community, to provide support for menopausal women and allies
- Created a toolkit about menopause in the workplace and a reference guide for all managers
- Provides enhanced private medical coverage to include a menopause consultation (not typically covered by insurance)
- Introduced an app, called Peppy, which allows employees to have consultations and receive support from menopause specialists
Agility and DE&I: a powerful combination
Interested to know more about the success of combinig principles of business agility and diversity, equity and inclusion in the insurance and reinsurance industry? Feel free to check out our latest whitepaper.
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