World Menopause Day: Creating an environment where people can thrive
Marie-Cecile Rossen
Now, imagine this. You wake up feeling nauseous and sweaty tomorrow. Maybe something you ate? Or could it be the latest winter bug? As the morning progresses you feel a fever and headache too, and the nausea continues like a steady pulse.
Here are two scenarios that share a lot of similarities, but equally valid reasons to take the day off, no? I would agree.
And yet there is one scenario we are much more likely to discuss openly with our manager than the other. One that, with a few coded words – ‘I’ve got a bug’ or ‘I’m under the weather’ – we can signal to our colleagues that today isn’t a day to get much done. And ultimately, one of these scenarios is ‘taboo’ and the other is not.
World Menopause Day is a reminder and a call to action for us to change this narrative. And workplaces have a pivotal role to play.
Beyond policy - creating the environment to talk
Although menopause is a natural cycle of life, predominantly experienced by all women for an average of seven years between the ages of 40 and 60 – people experiencing the menopause are often pushing through scenarios like the one I described. More than two thirds saying their work has been negatively impacted, according to past research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
And when they are taking days off, according to the same research, only a quarter of them feel able to tell their manager the real reason for their absence.
Firstly, and crucially, my message to any employee is, don’t fall into the ‘presenteeism’ trap. That’s the term for people working while they are sick – and there is continued evidence that it may be costing us more in productivity than ‘absenteeism’ – or simply taking the day to rest and recover.
But why this happens speaks to the importance of the manager and employee dynamic. Often our private or personal lives, and especially our health, are deemed off-limits to talk about – and certainly to ask about.
At Haskoning we believe it is possible but understand it is easier said than done. To start, we know change must go beyond written policies to tailored approaches that promote active engagement and training.
For example:
- We don’t enforce a global (or likely western) perspective with blanket policies. Instead, we give control to teams locally to adapt approaches to cultural nuances and regional needs.
- We raise awareness through regular learning sessions for all staff. We encourage men to attend these – because the gender gap in this conversation is crucial to bridge in order to create meaningful change.
- Our leadership development programs train managers to connect with employees across the spectrum of wellbeing concerns – and we roleplay those scenarios to practice dialogue and support.
That final point is key to our approach, because the symptoms of menopause can blend with several other equally ‘taboo’ topics that may be tough to talk about – particularly psychological or mental health symptoms, like mood changes, anxiety, depression, and even panic attacks.
These symptoms are not always immediately identifiable, especially compared to physical ones, which is why a robust wellbeing strategy is vital. To create a truly open and honest environment, where people empowered and supported.
By training and improving our managers’ ability to communicate, connect and engage with employees around the various aspects of wellbeing – while raising awareness and understanding of specific issues with ALL staff – we have a powerful combination to create change.
A healthy work life is a healthy life
The theme of this year’s World Menopause Day highlights how ‘lifestyle medicine’ – whether mental wellbeing, restorative sleep or healthy relationships – can ease menopausal symptoms.Not only are healthy working relationships, with our colleagues and managers important, but also the working environment becomes a key factor. Giving people power to control their working life as much as possible.
Flexible working is something we enable to allow our employees – from the Netherlands to Vietnam, and Peru to Australia – to have control over their working arrangements and environment.
This is a powerful tool in the face of almost all wellbeing challenges, but particularly menopause where discomfort is a central challenge. Something as seemingly simple as the ability to control the room temperature is cited as one of the most helpful measures – alongside flexible working!
And so, as we continue to raise awareness this World Menopause Day, we must acknowledge the important role our workplaces have to play and strive to improve them.
Menopause is a natural cycle of life that impacts more than half our global population. It is a health issue that should not be kept in the shadows of our workplaces, or private lives, but instead discussed and addressed openly. By doing so, we can open the way to wider conversations about the things we bring to our working life, building trust and support in the workplace, and giving our people a healthier work-life balance.
Our culture
