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The Workplace Health Insights series brings you the latest healthcare trends, interviews with medical experts and specialist insight from Bupa: all designed to keep you and your organisation one step ahead.
For the latest insights on the impacts of the menopause on health, wellbeing and the workplace, take a look here.
The fastest growing demographic
Times have changed and not engaging with the issues around menopause or supporting women in the workplace is no longer an option for any organisation.
Data from the Department for Work and Pensions shows menopausal women are now the fastest growing demographic in the workplace.
This is even more striking when you consider that every year almost a million women — many at the peak of their careers — leave the workforce because of menopause symptoms.
Apart from losing talent, effective menopause support protects against legal risks, where a growing number of women are taking their employers to court citing menopause as evidence of unfair dismissal or sex-based discrimination.
Symptoms and healthcare
Every woman’s experience of the menopause is unique with it usually happening between the ages of 45 and 55; in the UK the average age is 51, but it can start earlier.
Symptoms, which include low mood, anxiety, panic attacks, problems with memory and concentration, difficulty sleeping, muscle and joint pain, recurrent urinary tract infections, headaches and palpitations, often undermine performance in the workplace and confidence.
For a quarter of women menopause symptoms are so severe they are debilitating and many women are forced to take long-term absence — on average 32 weeks — to manage symptoms.
Bupa research has shown that 45% of women never discuss menopause symptoms with their GP and with limited training doctors are often under-equipped to discuss the matter.
Workplace support
Bupa has produced a Guide to Managing Menopause at Work with the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, giving practical advice on how to create an open culture, where women feel comfortable to ask for support, and companies have the flexibility to ensure teams are productive and performing at their best.
Bupa has also launched a Menopause HealthLine for health insurance customers and its employees ready for World Menopause Day on 18 October.
And it has a Women’s Health Hub full of resources available to all members, along with its Menopause Plan product.
This article has been abbreviated by Health & Protection. The full article can be found as part of the Workplace Health Insights series from Bupa, on the impacts of the menopause on health, wellbeing and the workplace, take a look here.