How companies are trying to smash the taboo around menopause in the workplace

Menopause can last up to 10 years, leading many women to decide to suffer symptoms silently at work or retire early.

But a new wave of companies is trying to break the taboo around menopause in a bid to support and retain their female employees.

Women usually enter menopause between the ages of 45 and 60, and perimenopause before that can begin in the 30s.

Menopause causes more than hot flashes, according to a 2024 survey by Menopause Friendly Australia, which helps workplaces support the needs of menopausal women, and skincare brand Dove. While 45 per cent of women felt they were not able to do their best at work, a similar number felt they had lost self-confidence.

Approximately 55 percent of women are considering quitting or taking a long break from work due to menopausal symptoms.

When Helen Skeggs turned 53 and started experiencing fatigue, sleep disturbances and stomach pain, she assumed it was menopause.

It was only when she attended a menopause education session at work (Australian Institute of Management WA) that she realized she needed to see a doctor.

“I wasn’t 100 per cent well for about a year and thought menopause was coming. I started waking up at 3am with extreme stomach pain. My stomach started to grow but the rest of me wasn’t,” Ms Skeggs said.

“My husband had encouraged me to go to the GP but I continued to ignore it thinking it was normal until the menopause sunset which made me realize I needed to do something.

“That was the final ingredient that created the catalyst for me to take action, as I thought my symptoms were similar to menopause but could reflect something worse.”

Her symptoms were serious because the doctor said she had stage four ovarian cancer, which had spread to a cancerous fluid between her lungs and chest wall.

Ms Skeggs, who is currently undergoing chemotherapy, said her diagnosis highlighted the importance of educating and supporting menopausal employees in workplaces.

“I am grateful to the AIM WA culture that the topic of menopause is an important conversation that needs to be heard and that people there are actually listening,” she said.

A 2023 report from the Korn Ferry Institute found that nearly 47 percent of women experience menopausal symptoms that “sometimes” to “consistently” disrupt their daily lives.

But when asked about support, fewer than 40 percent said they received it, and only 26 percent of women said they received assistance from formal labor policies or programs.

Companies breaking the stigma surrounding menopause have come to the fore since a 2024 senate inquiry recommended that workplaces develop perimenopause and menopause policies in consultation with their employees.

It was also recommended that menopausal employees have access to flexible working arrangements.

Last month the Federal Government also announced it would open a tender process for the development of national guidelines on menopause, with the aim of improving women’s health outcomes in diagnosis, treatment and care.

Macquarie University Occupational Health and Research Center professor Rebecca Mitchell said workplaces were starting to introduce menopause leave, but more needed to be done.

“Menopause is an endocrine problem and can cause problems with your teeth, your eyes, your ears, your skin, your emotions, everything, so saying you can take time off is a blunt instrument in the hands of organizations and managers, but it is ineffective,” she said.

“One of the problems we’ve seen, particularly in the research we’ve found, is that people lose confidence during menopause and therefore put their career goals on hold, so taking a lot of time off because you have severe menopause symptoms makes this worse.”

“If you take menopause leave, you won’t be around, so you’ll be less likely to get promoted and less likely to pursue your planned career trajectory.

Rather than shying away from the topic, we initiated conversations that normalized it and ensured that flexibility, empathy and understanding for those experiencing menopause were built into the way we work every day.

“If you have symptoms for eight years, that’s not good for you, and I think that adds to that stigma because people are seen as not being present.”

She said workplaces need to do more than just provide menopause leave and instead create a culture where women feel comfortable talking about their symptoms.

“If there’s a stigma against you, you’re probably not going to tell work that you’re menopausal and what you need, so it’s about education and trying to build organizations where it’s really okay for people to say what they need,” Professor Mitchell said.

Grace Molloy, CEO of Menopause Friendly Australia, is working to change the stigma around menopause and providing support and accreditation to companies looking to create workplaces that respond to the needs of menopausal women.

“Menopause leads women to give up on stressful situations at work and often seek out more flexible work, and so workplaces are exploring how they can raise awareness among employees that they do not have to go through this process alone,” Ms Molloy said.

“Organizations want to adjust workplace environments so that people experiencing symptoms can stay at work, feel safe and have a sense of belonging in the workplace.

“We still know that many people are hesitant to talk about their symptoms at work, so that’s where we need to break down that stigma, and menopause-friendly accreditation provides that framework for organizations that want to do that, but aren’t really sure how to approach it.”

Menopause Friendly Accreditation means employers have proven their commitment to removing stigma, normalizing conversations and making adjustments to staff at this inevitable stage of life.

More than 50 organizations across Australia have now pledged to become menopause friendly.

AIM WA is one of seven organizations in the country and the first training institution to have menopause-friendly accreditation.

“With approximately 80 per cent of the AIM WA workforce likely to experience menopause at some point, menopause poses a major threat to our organization in terms of loss of talent, experience and leadership,” said AIM WA CEO Gary Martin.

“We wanted to change that. We trained our leaders to understand what menopause is like and how they can best support their teams.

“Rather than shying away from the topic, we initiated conversations that normalized it and ensured that flexibility, empathy and understanding for those experiencing menopause were built into the way we work every day.

“We also hope that our accreditation will encourage others to follow.”