When menopause and work collide

^{[Image description:  Woman with menopause at work holding a laptop.]}

Not all of us will enjoy the same working environment that an award-winning actress can command, but we can still improve our lot. Here’s how.

 British actress Julie Walters laughed as she remembered some years ago how she managed her menopausal hot flushes while working. “It was like a chimney that came from the base of my spine,” she said.

During each take while filming a TV show, there was a shout, “Stop! She’s having a flush!”

This sort of working environment – where menopause is openly discussed and accepted – is one that many women in Australia can only dream of. More often women silently deal with menopausal symptoms that can, for some, be unpleasant, unpredictable, and often embarrassing.

The symptoms are all too familiar – hot flushes, sweating, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and the tiredness caused by disrupted sleep. And they can go on for years.

Menopause usually occurs between ages 45 and 55, arriving at a time when many women are in the prime of their working lives. Half of the world’s population experiences, or will experience, this biological change and yet, it is often not discussed in the workplace.

But a shift is happening. Last year Vodafone, which employs about 1500 people around Australia, committed to supporting its workers during menopause. This was in response to research which showed that nearly two-thirds of women who experienced menopause said it had affected them at work.

More than 5000 women across five countries were surveyed and a third of those who had symptoms said they hid them at work. Nearly half felt there was a stigma around talking about menopause.

But that may be changing, slowly.

There has been a cultural shift in thinking about menopause as a workforce issue. And it’s beginning to gain momentum around the world."

KATHLEEN RIACH, PROFESSOR IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MANAGEMENT AT MONASH BUSINESS SCHOOL