Why Menopause shouldn't be ignored. A guide for human resources and caring business owners.

Although Menopause has been a "dirty" word in corporate circles for decades, often striking fear of career suicide into the hearts of women (or anyone who menstruates) everywhere it no longer needs to be ignored.

Employee retention, engagement and support have long been recognised as "Best practice" and "Good business" but there has been a gap in understanding why so many corporations have difficulties maintaining harmonious employee retention within their senior and middle management ranks.

Even the most disengaged top level male MD who may or may not give two hoots about his menopausal staff can understand the importance of this harmony when it comes to the bottom line. It may not be a concern until you are bleeding money (pun intended) over not supporting those who are within your ranks and suffering.

Well, the answers are in folks! Not only to Menopausal or perimenopausal employees suffer more health concerns than your standard average, they are also battling what may be the hardest part of the transition: Their mental health.

Hormones get a bad rep and of course we are no stranger to the affects of the reduction or rise in them regardless of gender but this specific time is one that does not allow for many to have the smoothest of transitions or the love and support most good employers would hope to provide.

Research shows that menopause has a significant impact on women’s overal mental health, due to the hormonal cocktail fluctuations that occur during menopause. While there isn't a direct and consistent set of statistics solely linking menopause to suicide rates, the connection between menopause, mental health issues, and suicide risk is globally recognised, with those aged 45-54—often during menopause—experiencing one of the highest female suicide rates, linked to hormonal changes, depression, and social stressors.

What about a woman who was sharp as a tack and respected over the last 20 years of her career suddenly being disregarded in meetings when she speaks up?

What about when that woman who has been tactful and patient her whole career has a day where the stress of the environment causes her to be the worst possible thing a woman can be at work :/ : EMOTIONAL?!?

What about that employee who has managed tens of other employees, advanced, encouraged and supported them over decades only now to be looked upon as the office fool? Brutal.

You might not think it is happening in your company either, but statistically, it likely is.

You may not realise the difficulties that arise mentally and emotionally for these valued employees or how much of the stress is taken home, unmanaged and wholly unsupported.

So what can be done?

In the last year I have had the privilege to work with women in such positions to support them through the months with a regular check in using the tools of Positive Psychology. In these sessions, we guide menopausal or perimenopausal employees through a 12 step (once per month ) programme that is tailored to support them through this time.

The results have been so wonderful that we intend to open ourselves up to do this again in 2025!!

We know that this practice creates:

• Improved Well-Being and Mental Health: Studies show that workplaces that implement positive psychology interventions, such as gratitude practices, mindfulness, and strengths-based approaches, see up to a 30% improvement in employee well-being. This is particularly relevant for menopausal women who may experience anxiety, depression, and mood swings due to hormonal changes reduced Stress and Burnout: Positive psychology has been shown to reduce workplace stress and burnout by 25%, which is crucial for menopausal women, as stress can exacerbate symptoms like hot flushes, insomnia, and memory issues. This actively reduces sick-related absences in the workplace.
• Engagement and Retention: Employees working in environments that apply positive psychology principles report 15% higher levels of engagement and 12% lower turnover rates. For menopausal women, who may feel undervalued or sidelined, creating a positive and inclusive workplace can prevent them from leaving the workforce prematurely.
• Enhanced Mental resilience and intelligence: Menopause can bring emotional and psychological challenges, and workplaces that foster emotional intelligence through positive psychology practices help employees manage emotional regulation. Research shows that 75% of employees who work for workplaces that emphasise emotional intelligence report feeling more supported in their mental health and perform better, increasing productivity and efficiency.
• Better workplace relationships: Positive psychology improves interpersonal relationships, with workplaces seeing a 21% improvement in team cohesion and cooperation. This can ease feelings of isolation that menopausal women often face and promote more open communication between employees and management.
• Boost in Resilience: A positive psychology approach that builds resilience through strengths-based interventions can help menopausal employees cope with their symptoms and challenges. Studies show a 40% increase in resilience in workplaces that promote these strategies.

Although that is all very nice, why should companies take this seriously?

It is a bit rubbish (not the word I want to use) that in order for some companies to take heed of this opportunity I have to resort to explaining the financial benefits but alas, it is a language that is understood. So let's look at how putting your employee's mental health during menopause not only helps your company to make more money and have operational harmony but how it actually saves you money!

Cost of Handling Conflict and Employee Churn

Employee Churn Cost:

Replacing a senior or middle management employee typically costs about 150% of their annual salary due to recruitment, onboarding, and training expenses.

Let’s assume the average salary of a senior or middle manager is ￡75,000 per year.

Therefore, the cost of replacing one employee is ￡112,500.

Conflict Management Cost:

Studies show that the average cost of handling internal conflicts (e.g., lost productivity, HR intervention, legal advice) is about ￡5,000 per conflict.

If conflict arises with 50% of the menopausal employees (10 employees), the total cost is ￡50,000.

Total Cost of Conflict and Churn:

Let’s assume 3 out of 20 menopausal employees leave due to workplace stress related to menopause.

The cost of replacing these 3 employees is:

3 employees x ￡112,500 = ￡337,500.

Adding the cost of conflict management:

￡337,500 + ￡50,000 = ￡387,500.

So, the total cost of employee churn and conflict management for menopausal employees is ￡387,500.

Cost of Implementing Positive Psychology Coaching

Positive Psychology Coaching:

Let’s assume the cost of a positive psychology coach is ￡100 per hour.

Each employee would have 1 hour of coaching per month, totalling 12 hours per year.

The cost for 20 employees:

20 employees x ￡100 x 12 months = ￡24,000 per year.

3. Potential Benefits and Savings

Reduction in Employee Churn:

Research suggests that investing in employee well-being, particularly through coaching and mental health support, can reduce turnover by up to 30%.

Applying this to our scenario, we would save 1 employee out of the 3 who would have otherwise left.

The saving from retaining 1 employee is ￡112,500.

Reduction in Conflict Costs:

Positive psychology and well-being programs can reduce workplace conflict by 20-25%.

A 25% reduction in conflict costs would save:

￡50,000 x 25% = ￡12,500.

Total Savings:

Saving from reduced employee churn: ￡112,500.

Saving from reduced conflict management costs: ￡12,500.

Total potential savings: ￡125,000.

Net Savings

Cost of Positive Psychology Coaching: ￡24,000.

Total Savings: ￡125,000.

Net Savings:

￡125,000 - ￡24,000 = ￡101,000.

By investing in 1 hour per month of positive psychology coaching for 20 menopausal employees, the company could:

Save ￡101,000 in the first year.

Reduce employee churn and workplace conflict.

Enhance employee well-being, productivity, and retention.

There has never been a better time to put Menopause in focus and create a situation for your employees that will enhance not just their job satisfaction but can contribute to their overall enjoyment of life and their career.

Less stress for our employees - less stress on our companies!