The “Hormotional” Social Worker

SWU Executive Committee UK Representative Chrissie Beatty writes about her experience of menopause and the importance of workplace support and inclusion.

As someone who has been a slave to my hormones, I was rather relieved when I first started experiencing the early signs of perimenopause – I thought the end was in sight! But any relief was short lived as the symptoms really kicked in. And it wasn’t just hot flushes and night sweats; my waistline began to resemble a tree trunk, my skin was dry, my hair was breaking, I couldn’t sleep, my once sharp brain and memory had been replaced with cotton wool and I sprouted a magical chin hair that could grow an inch between leaving home and getting to the office. It wasn’t just physical changes; my emotions climbed aboard a rollercoaster Alton Towers would be proud of and I’d find myself sobbing over a McCain chips advert, or feeling pure rage because my Tesco trolley had a wobbly wheel.

At home, I could walk around in my big pants and baggy t shirt, with a family size Galaxy bar in each hand, while my teenage children would give each other knowing looks and keep out of my way. However, despite the steely resolve of social workers, this behaviour would probably raise some eyebrows in the office.

There is no ‘one size fits all’ menopause experience

Everyone experiences menopause differently and while the average age to start having symptoms is between 45 and 55, it can occur at any age, as a result of surgery, illness, or an issue with the function of the ovaries. 8 out of 10 people have noticeable symptoms, and 1 in 4 experience severely debilitating symptoms. This can cause major and embarrassing problems for some, effecting personal relationships and leave them at odds with their professional image. The main symptoms causing problems at work include:

Before writing this, I asked my colleagues if they wanted to share their experiences of menopause with me. One told me she had been 35 when she first had symptoms and experienced such heavy bleeding that she was spending £70 a month on sanitary products and would regularly pass out at work. Another had been convinced that she was mentally ill and it nearly led to her marriage breaking up.

There were 2 recurrent themes in our conversations: one was difficulty in getting their GP to agree it was menopause and the second was that they felt they were the only one going through it – they all felt alone and isolated and too ashamed and embarrassed to talk about it, especially with their managers or colleagues.

I am so fortunate because I have found the holy grail in social work – I have an amazing manager! He asks us how we are, and he genuinely cares and will do all he can to support us. And while I can talk to him about anything, he is the first to say he doesn’t know a great deal about menopause. We all know that the social work profession has a majority female work force; in the UK, only 14% of social workers are men, but they hold 27% of management positions. That’s a lot of men managing a lot of women, so it is vital for the wellbeing of the work force that they have an understanding of menopause and its impact at work.

Menopause ‘support’ can be more well-meaning than helpful

A couple of years ago, I was delighted when the local authority emailed all staff about webinars they were running for “Menopause Awareness Month”, to explore the subject and to offer advice on practical steps to manage symptoms. One called “Managing the Menopause with Style” caught my eye; I thought it might tell me how to breeze through the working day, whilst enduring the chaotic myriad of symptoms I was experiencing. I eagerly clicked on the link and read in disbelief that it was in fact, a webinar with a “colourist and stylist” who would offer advice on how to create a suitable wardrobe for this stage of life. I was hoping for sound, practical advice but instead I was going to learn what colour top would go best with my sweaty, aging skin.

As an optimist, I hope the thought behind it was well intentioned, after all, we can lose a sense of who we are and feel invisible, but this had a ring of “come on love, treat yourself to a nice top and you’ll feel better.” Maybe a webinar called “How to manage when your uniformed GP suggests you need anti-depressants rather than HRT” might have been more beneficial. To add insult to injury, the next event was titled “Planning for a Positive Retirement” because obviously once our ovaries dry up, we may as well give up. I took to the Women’s Staff Network group chat to express my incredulity and found I was not alone. One colleague suggested they may have well just told us to cuddle a cat.

Creating an open culture of menopause support in the workplace

I am pleased to say that things in my local authority have moved on in a short space of time, probably as a result of the increased media attention that menopause is now getting, spear headed by the patron saint of menopause, Davina McCall. The staff intranet now has advice and policies relating to menopause and the reasonable adjustments that can be made for employees.

Legally, those experiencing challenges relating to menopause are protected under the Equality Act 2010. Menopause is largely covered under the three protected characteristics of age, sex and disability discrimination. And the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 covers safe working, which extends to working conditions when experiencing menopausal symptoms. There are simple changes that can be made by employers, including:

• Provide options for flexible working (e.g. working from home, temporary or permanent part time working or an adjustment to the employee’s hours)
• the option to take rest breaks within the day
• providing a fan
• moving the employee’s desk closer to a window that opens
• providing a private, quiet rest area
• allowing people to attend medical appointments during the working day
• being accommodating over the employee’s start and finish times
• easy access to drinking water
• providing sanitary products in toilets
• provide storage to keep a change of clothes
• provide stationary to allow staff to keep notes to support their memory
• provide noise cancelling headphones to aid concentration

It is estimated that 14 million working days are lost to menopause each year and a survey last year found one in 10 people who worked during the menopause, had left a job due to their symptoms, while others had reduced their hours, gone part-time, or not applied for promotion. A proposal was recently put forward by MPs for a trial of paid menopause leave, as a way to stop women being forced out of work by rigid sickness policies. However, the government rejected the plans, claiming it was unfair to men. I would counter that by saying it is unfair for women to have their life turned on its head by menopause.

For every organisation that adopts a menopause policy, makes reasonable adjustments and raises awareness of menopause, it is a step in the right direction. But to truly overcome ignorance and destigmatise menopause in the workplace, all companies, local authorities, health care trusts etc, need to commit to education and creating an open culture where menopause is openly discussed.

In the UK, the highest rate of suicide among women is between the ages of 45 and 49. Perhaps this is the ultimate hidden cost of menopause stigma, so opening up this conversation matters.

Inclusive menopause support

I can’t finish without expressing how important it is for employers to be trans and non-binary inclusive in the support they offer. Menopause is often solely framed as something experienced by cisgender women, but members of the trans and non-binary community also experience menopause. Trans and non-binary people can encounter additional barriers to accessing menopause support for a number of reasons, including being unable to access support as they do not feel safe enough in the workplace to disclose or discus their gender identity.

We can help all our colleagues achieve better outcomes by using inclusive language that welcomes people of any gender and focusing on individual needs rather than gendered assumptions. Inclusive language can be as simple as using correct pronouns for individuals (e.g he and him; they and them) and referring to ‘women and anyone else experiencing the menopause’ when talking in general about the menopause. As the discussion around menopause grows, let’s make sure everyone’s voice is heard.

Now where did I put that chocolate…….?