Addressing Menopause in the Workplace is a Business Imperative. Here's Why.

When I turned 50, I was establishing myself as the first woman CEO of a global leadership development firm, and I was determined to make my mark. At around the same time, my menopause symptoms kicked in, usually at the most inopportune moments of my day—speaking at a client event, shooting a promotional video, or presenting to our all-men private equity board. It was mostly intense hot flashes, but they were debilitating, and it was uncomfortable, embarrassing, and distracting.? ?

My girlfriends and I talked about our menopause stages incessantly, and my family saw firsthand how it impacted me. But at work I suffered alone, unless I was able to bring up the topic privately in safe environments, particularly with my executive team members made up almost exclusively of women. But it’s striking that even after so many years of focusing on advancing gender equity and women’s leadership, I felt unable to share my menopause experience at work and how it impacted me. ?

Thankfully, things are finally changing, and menopause is having a moment. Halle Barry, Oprah Winfrey, and Gwyneth Paltrow have all publicly discussed this natural life transition. Campaigns and documentaries are shedding light on the range of experiences women can expect during menopause and calling for better care, acknowledgement, and understanding of this life stage.

But unlike other once taboo subjects, such as mental health and burnout, the focus around menopause hasn’t yet reached the workplace with the same intensity. Instead of open conversations, silence and stigma still dominate.?

Catalyst is addressing this issue head on. According to a new Catalyst survey of almost 2,900 full-time employees experiencing menopause in eight countries, 72% of women have hidden their symptoms at work at least once, despite 97% of them reporting moderate to extremely severe symptoms. And one-third haven’t ever told anyone at work. When asked why, many women said it’s a personal issue, while others said they were embarrassed or feared negative repercussions for their careers. ?

I can relate. Despite being open with colleagues about most major life events and transitions, I mostly stayed quiet about menopause. And now I wonder: what would it have been like if I had felt comfortable speaking about it at work? Could I have made it easier on myself and helped others? Because the biggest problem isn’t menopause or its symptoms (though I certainly don’t want to downplay those!)—but the stigma long attached to it and a lack of menopause support for employees across much of the corporate world. ?

Forty-seven percent of women ages 45-59?contribute to the global workforce . For most of us, menopause coincides with the pinnacle of our careers. It may come around as we’re moving into more senior leadership roles. And we know that the numbers of women on the leadership ladder are already low—and are lower the further up we look. The stigma and lack of support for menopause in the workplace contribute to this leaky pipeline. ?

And that stigma has a retainment cost: Talented women who don’t feel that they can bring their full selves to work may not pursue that promotion. They might even leave a company altogether.?And for front line employees, it can become even more of an obstacle, with stigma more pronounced in jobs that have significant physical demands. Providing targeted support for these workers improves their wellbeing, reduces turnover, and decreases absenteeism. ?

According to the survey, 84% of respondents agree that more menopause support is needed in the workplace and one in 10 have declined a job opportunity because of a lack of these supports. Women are willing to walk away if the support they need to thrive at the peak of their careers isn’t in place. Leaders, this is a talent retention issue.?

Menopause also directly hurts the bottom line. More than one third of women surveyed said that their symptoms negatively affect their work performance. In the United States alone, we see an estimated $1.8 billion per year in menopause-related productivity losses. If women were able to work to the level of their potential and we could close the gap in labor force participation in senior and middle management positions, it could increase global economic output by $7 trillion . ?

This is an enormous untapped opportunity for companies. The global corporate world can support women at a key stage of their lives and careers, attract and retain highly skilled senior talent, and reap the benefits of increased performance, but only if we listen to what women experiencing menopause say they need. ?

The women who took our survey are calling on their employers to provide:?

• Time off and flexible work arrangements: 60% of employees want policies that offer time off and flexible working arrangements. Currently, only 25% of organizations offer these.??
• Adjustments to the working environment: 50% of employees want changes like cooling rooms or ergonomic considerations, but only 21% of companies provide them.??
• Medical insurance: 48% of employees expect coverage for menopause-related treatments and therapies, yet just 22% of employers offer this benefit.??
• Access to menopause health professionals: While 46% of employees are asking for this, only 22% of organizations have responded with concrete offerings.??
• Education and awareness at work: 42% of employees seek broader workforce education on menopause, but a mere 19% of employers provide such training.??? ?

Addressing menopause in the workplace is a business imperative. For talent. For profit. And for workplace culture. Women globally are calling for more menopause support in the workplace and are willing to take their talent elsewhere without it. A workplace menopause strategy is good for employees and good for business. ? ?

For two straight years, I tried battling the symptoms on my own before finding a treatment therapy that allowed me to feel completely myself again. It changed my mood, my performance, and my life, at home and at work. I’m grateful to Catalyst for leading this important conversation with organizations globally.?