Making Menopause Work

For far too long, women have been suffering in silence as they battle debilitating symptoms of menopause with little support. Some women glide through with very few symptoms, while others are quite literally thrown into a tailspin that impacts life dramatically.

One major area of impact is the workplace. In most work settings, there are very few …or no resources for midlife female employees.

Since women entered the workforce, we have silently suffered through meetings while having a hot flush and sweating, had trouble staying on task due to brain fog, experienced anxiety and heart palpitations that take focus and productivity away, just to name a few. Never talked about for fear of embarrassment.

That’s why I’m thrilled The Menopause Society is launching a new initiative called, Making Menopause Work that will offer employers free resources to help support their female employees.

According to The Menopause Society, unsupported menopause symptoms drive up employer healthcare costs and cause $1.8 billion in missed workdays, not to mention the added costs of reduced productivity and early retirement. Midlife employees represent a large and growing percentage of today’s workforce and hold key positions in management and on the front lines.  

The more we learn about random symptoms of menopause, the more aha! moments many of us are having. It’s crucial that we share, commiserate, support and learn from one another.

And that includes sharing resources. I think the Making Menopause Work initiative is an important, albeit long overdue, step in the right direction for women’s health and equality in the workplace.

Now go to work and get your company on board! Change is coming for women.