Despite the compelling case for being a menopause friendly employer, the continued squeeze on business budgets has left some organisations asking themselves if they can afford to make the necessary changes to be menopause friendly. 

In fact, they should be asking themselves if they can afford NOT to be menopause friendly.

Quite apart from being inclusive and acting within the law, being menopause friendly is essential for a business to thrive. Furthermore, it can help attract and retain top talent, reduce absenteeism, increase productivity and could even SAVE money. It will certainly protect your bottom line, not to mention your reputation.

We can hardly move without hearing about the menopause in the workplace. As someone who was been banging the drum for this since 2016, I’m delighted we have reached this point. There is no doubt that not being menopause friendly could cost a business dearly.  Eighteen per cent of the 33 million people employed in the UK is directly suffering from symptoms of the menopause: that’s 5.87 million people!

Those affected can suffer from a variety of serious symptoms that proving particularly problematic in the workplace, including:

• Sleeplessness
• Hot flushes
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Lack of concentration ‘brain fog’
• Loss of confidence

It’s hardly surprising then that 43% of people say they have taken periods of absence from work due to their menopausal symptoms. Tellingly, only 9% reported to their managers this was the true reason for their absence with others worried they would be perceived negatively or their abilities called into question.

Protecting fastest growing workplace demographic
Menopausal women are the fasting growing workplace demographic in the UK. Given that perimenopause symptoms begin, on average, in the early 40s and menopause at 51, this means people could be experiencing symptoms for half their working life. And many are likely to want – or need  – to continue working beyond menopause.

As organisations face unprecedented levels of costs, I’m having more employers questioning if they can justify adding to their costs by making the necessary changes to become menopause friendly. This is an understandable concern, even though welfare of staff should be an integral part of all organisations. The fact of the matter is, costs to a business of not being menopause friendly could be way higher than the costs of putting best practice, polices and plans in place.

The Financial Case for being Menopause Friendly
By not being menopause friendly, businesses will lose out and stand to suffer further financial hardships as explained here.

1. Reduced Absenteeism
People being absent due to menopause symptoms translates to many hours of lost productivity.  Absence can require extra cover or moving people within the workforce to address a situation, resulting in other areas also being less productive.  When viewed this way the menopause-friendly initiatives such as flexible working arrangements and making small physical adjustments to improve comfort are not so costly at all!

2. Improved Productivity
Reducing absences improves productivity.  But the health of those present needs to be addressed as well because:

• 75% of menopause sufferers experience poor concentration
• 70% experience a high level of stress
• 67% experience a loss of confidence

This tells us something is lacking in the support being offered. Workplace support (someone to talk to who will understand and be trusted); access to cooler environments and other resources for managing symptoms will mitigate the challenging experiences being faced and lead to a happier and better supported workforce.  This, in turn, will lead to improved performance and productivity.

3. Increased Employee Retention
One in four people considers leaving their place of work due to their menopause symptoms. This poses a very real risk – and high cost – to employers:

• The average cost for replacing talent is estimated to be £30,000
• On average it costs £6,100 to recruit a new employee

Replacing people is a very costly business including the advertising jobs, interviewing prospects, recruiting staff, training newcomers and allowing lost time/lower productivity as people get up to speed. Far better to retain your talent by looking after them well.

4. Stronger Recruitment
You can tell a lot about an employer which invests time and resources into this aspect of employee wellbeing. A menopause friendly organisation is an attractive place to work so being menopause friendly can be considered a recruitment tool. Make the most of this by:

• Citing your menopause friendly environment on your website to help attract staff
• Adding your menopause friendly status to job advertisements will attract top talent
• Growing your business reputation as people see you as a supportive and caring employer.

When you consider that 50% of employers have hard-to-fill vacancies and 52% of workers state that wellbeing programmes are a ‘must have’, you can see how being menopause friendly plays a key part in attracting – and retaining – top talent.

5. Future Proofing and Education
When looking at menopause in the workplace, don’t just focus on those employees who need your support now.  Consider how your talent pipeline will view their future in your employ as they approach perimenopause in years to come.  Build their confidence and loyalty with the promise of help when they need it in the future.

Don’t forget the men in your workplace! Many will be all too aware of how the menopause can adversely affect the women in their life, be they a partner, colleague, sister or friend. Education for men puts them in a place where they can better understand and support.  Just as women find it difficult to talk about menopause for fear of being dismissed (sometimes literally!), so do men.  Also, some men may be indirectly affected due to someone else’s menopause at work or home, so it’s important to recognise that education and support is for all colleagues.

6. Gender Equity
Given all the above, it comes as little surprise to learn that 14% of women going through menopause opt to go part time and 8% choose not to look for promotion/enhanced roles within companies due to their symptoms/experience at work.  Many others choose to leave work altogether, compounding the risk to businesses of losing experience and know-how and the cost to find replacements; train them up and manage the transitional phases as staff leave and join. All this plays a significant role in a company’s gender pay gap, something which, in the majority of cases, will widen with age. Gender and Pay Gaps – like all protected characteristics  – are areas which companies have to address as they are, rightly, held to account for these. Menopause friendly practices will help address this issue, bringing further value to businesses.

7. Litigation – The Worst Case!
As if financial and physical losses incurred by not being menopause friendly aren’t enough, what about if (and when) it all goes wrong?  If an employee takes you to court, the related costs to your organisation’s finances can be crippling including:

• Employment Lawyers
• Damages (even out of court settlements can cost a huge amount)
• Fines
• Lost time and focus

Meanwhile, being menopause friendly isn’t costly
The recently published BSI guidance document has once again put menopause in the workplace in the spotlight.  We were consulted on this comprehensive report and are completely aligned with its guidelines.

With over seven years’ experience, our 450-strong menopause friendly membership includes leading organisations including multi-national giants, big banking groups and high street retailers as well as charities, NHS trusts and local councils. This shows that every employer – be they large or small, public or private – can fulfil their responsibility to be menopause friendly.

Getting started isn’t onerous or expensive: but putting it off could literally be too high a price to pay.