Over one-third (38%) of employers have admitted that staff have left their organisation due to menopause symptoms, according to a new study.
In addition, 64% of HR professionals say that their organisation had experienced staff taking time off sick because of menopause-related symptoms, confirmed the latest research from digital health app Peppy. Of these, a third (32%) say they have experienced employees in their organisation take sick leave because of menopause symptoms ‘quite a few times’ and half (50%) responded this had occurred a ‘couple of times’.
Peppy’s research highlighted how businesses are directly affected when menopause is not supported, particularly with sickness and absence from menopause-related issues, and why they need to offer better support if they are serious about recruiting and retaining this vital talent pool.
INCREASED DEMAND FOR MENOPAUSE SUPPORT
The research also noted an increase in the demand for menopause support by staff. Over half (55%) of employers have seen demand for menopause support increase in the past two years, according to new research. The same is true over a five-year period, with nearly two-thirds (63%) of employers seeing this increased appetite for employer-sponsored menopause support.
Of those employers who do offer menopause support, nine out of ten (89%) expect the organisation to be more attractive to staff of menopause age looking for jobs, and a similar amount (88%) expect to be better able to retain staff of menopausal age.
RECRUITMENT & RETENTION BENEFITS
“Organisations are witnessing an increased demand for menopause support from their staff and we don’t see this trend slowing anytime soon,” noted Kathy Abernethy, Director of Menopause Services of Peppy. “We have conversations with employers who might not have considered budgeting for menopause support in the past, or thought their more general employee benefits provision was adequate; however, they now realise that they must prioritise this type of specialist support.”
Employers expect to improve recruitment and retention by offering menopause support, noted the study. “Businesses are directly affected when staff take absence or leave the business altogether because of menopause-related issues. Individuals benefit when they’re supported, and it’s also in the interest of the company to look after this important demographic, to reduce absence and keep people at work,” added Abernethy.
Earlier in the year, the FTSE Women Leaders Review, which was spearheaded by Liz Truss, then Minister for Women and Equalities, now Prime Minister, made recommendations for new targets to help ensure women are fairly represented in corporate leadership and on boards. Peppy believes that organisations of all sizes will take this approach on board, and the recruitment and retention of senior women will be a laser focus for employers.
LACKING MENOPAUSE SUPPORT
Yet many employers believe they’re behind the curve on menopause support. Despite the pressure from employees wanting menopause support, and employers’ understanding of the positive impact that this can have on recruitment and retention. Peppy’s research found that over a third (36%) of employers feel that they are behind the curve, or it’s not even on their radar, when it comes to offering menopause support. The report also found that:
- 17% of HR leaders thought that their organisation was a ‘little’ bit behind others in terms of the support they offer.
- 6% believe that they are ‘way behind’ others.
- 13% said that menopause support was not on their radar or something they are particularly interested in offering at present.
“Many early adopters offered menopause support because they wanted to do the right thing, and recognised the impact of not doing so, and others are now quickly following suit as they can’t afford to be an outlier in their industry,” shared Abernethy. “Either way – employees will benefit from a greater number of organisations offering them support. Those who don’t get up to speed with offering support are likely to suffer as a consequence.”
TYPES OF MENOPAUSE SUPPORT
Of the types of support offered to menopausal employees, mental wellbeing support targeted at midlife women is the most common (37%), according to Peppy’s research. This is followed by:
- Healthy lifestyle support for midlife women, i.e. fitness, nutrition (35%)
- Information/enhanced information on company or employee benefits portal (31%)
- More general employee benefits that include some menopause support (31%)
- Training for line managers/board members on menopause issues (31%)
The areas of menopause support set for the biggest growth in the next 12 months according to HR departments are:
- Information/enhanced information on company or employee benefits portal (26%)
- Training for line managers/board on menopause issues (25%)
- In-person menopause support groups, i.e. menopause cafes (23%)
- More general employee benefits that include some menopause support (22%)
- Training and information targeted at male colleagues about menopause issues (21%)
- Mental wellbeing support targeted at midlife women (21%)
BENEFITS OF MENOPAUSE SUPPORT
Employees will benefit from a wide range of menopause support so it’s good to see employers offering such a variety. However, with such a vast array of general menopause support now available, employers need to ensure what they offer makes a real difference and gives employees the dedicated support they need from experts to really get on top of some debilitating symptoms. Simply offering information, or general support isn’t enough; it needs to be personalised, targeted and offered by specialists, noted the study.
“There are clear benefits of providing menopause support for employers and their employees, as well as very real ramifications of not doing so. Menopause support is not a trending employee benefit or a fad that will disappear next year,” concluded Kathy Abernethy. “There are over 15 million women in employment and nearly a third of those are over 50, so employers need to recognise their needs. Menopause needs to be treated in the same way as any other specialist support needed within the workplace, especially if employers are serious about recruiting, retaining and promoting this demographic.”
RELATED ARTICLES
Check out the following articles to continue the conversation on getting better menopause support at work:
It’s time for employers to provide more support for women going through the menopause at work.
Working women are calling for better workplace support and education for women going through the menopause.
Menopause support for women still lacking in the workplace.
One in every five women has left or considered leaving a job because of menopause symptoms, according to a new study.
Sign up for our newsletter
