Menopause at Work Survey 2018 Results
Summary Headlines
- 75% of respondents agree or strongly agree with the statement “Menopause has negatively impacted my ability to do my job” but they’re not taking time off to recover.
- 50% of respondents say menopause has impacted their ability to do their job for over a year but they’re not willing to talk about it to their HR function.
- Almost a third of respondents considered changing jobs as result of the impact of menopause symptoms at work.
“brain fog and anxiety have been disruptive to the point where I’ve questioned my ability to do my job”
Menopause Symptoms at Work
- The top 3 symptoms which caused women most difficulty in the workplace were poor concentration, brain fog and sleep disturbance.
“brain fog and debilitating fatigue have seriously affected my memory and my ability to think and problem solve”
Communication
- Nearly 60% felt comfortable talking to their line manager but less than half were willing to speak to their HR function
“The young lady from HR had never come across brain fog and my (precious) reputation as a competent employee suffered”
Presenteeism v Absenteeism
- Less than 25% of respondents had taken time off from work for menopause symptoms indicating presenteeism is a more likely consequence than absenteeism.
“Despite not taking any time off work, there were occasions when I felt I needed to because of lack of sleep. However how do you ring in sick and explain that!”
Support in the Workplace
- 75% of organisations do not provide any support for female employees experiencing menopause symptoms at work.
“I have forgotten to attend meetings and I’ve had emotional outbursts and tears which impact on my ability to manage others”
What next?
To discuss what your organisation can do to introduce menopause as an inclusive topic, support female employees working through menopause, reduce presenteeism and improve performance please email julie@juliedennis.net to arrange a call.