Menopause and the workplace: Global Women survey of impact on women in work

She didn't talk about menopause when she was going through it while chief executive of Telecom, Theresa Gattung says, but she would now. File photo / Mike Scott

A survey has revealed the widespread impact menopause has on women in the workplace, but also that employers are open to discussing solutions - so why isn’t that happening? Cherie Howie reports.

She was boss of the largest listed company in the country, but there was no way Theresa Gattung was going to talk about going through menopause - even though she was among the 20 per cent of women who don’t suffer symptoms.

“Wild horses wouldn’t have dragged that word from my mouth”, said Gattung, the former Telecom chief executive who is now chairwoman of Global Women, a non-profit championing diversity in leadership.

But from neurodiversity to gender identity and beyond, workplaces have become more accepting of employees bringing “their whole selves to work” since her Telecom days.

“That’s a shift I think we’ve seen in the last couple of decades. Now, if I was a CEO going through menopause, I’d talk about it.”

Yet, new research has found, we don’t - even though three-quarters of Kiwi women surveyed said menopause symptoms negatively affected their work - just 11 per cent had talked to their manager about it.

And employers, according to a survey commissioned by Global Women and ANZ for World Menopause Day today, said they were open to talking about menopause, although 40 per cent needed to know more about it.

Just over a thousand women aged between 40 and 60, including 150 who are Māori, were asked what impact menopause symptoms had on their work, if they’d discussed it at work - and if they felt comfortable doing so - and what would help them manage menopause while working.

Five hundred employers from all industry groups except mining were also asked if they were open, and felt knowledgeable enough, for discussions about menopause, and how they were helping affected employees.

Menopause can affect shut-eye - one study of 2000 women found they lost five and a half weeks' sleep a year due to menopause, waking up on average 2.7 times a night. Photo / Isabella and Zsa Fischer, Unsplash

Menopause is usually described as the day 12 months after a woman’s last menstrual period, and the sometimes years before then when women may experience a range of symptoms due to the hormonal changes that bring about menopause - often called perimenopause.

Symptoms can include hot flushes, insomnia, poor quality sleep and night sweats, fatigue, brain fog, mood changes, joint pains, muscle aches, headaches, anxiety and depression.

The survey, run through the Kantar consumer panel and the basis of a New Zealand Institute of Economic Research report on the impacts of menopause in our workplaces, found most women who’d experienced menopause symptoms felt it caused them to work 20 to 30 per cent below their best, with one in four saying their ability to work fell by at least half.

Concentration loss and brain fog were the most commonly reported symptoms, with loss of motivation, patience and confidence, and increased stress, also common.

More than half had never talked about their menopause or perimenopause experiences with anyone at work, and yet the survey also found 90 per cent of employers were comfortable having discussions about menopause - although only 1 in 3 managers felt “very knowledgeable” about menopause (1 in 5 for male managers).

Women were asking for flexible hours and remote working to manage their symptoms, something many employers already offered - with three-quarters of managers already doing their best to accommodate employees when aware of the problem, the survey found.

The survey showed menopause was a “silent transition”, Gattung said.

“We’re not talking about menopause in our workplaces … the most important thing is that all of us normalise the conversation around menopause.

“In many cases employers have the policies that enable adjustments around flexible hours and working, and it’s just a matter of … women giving themselves permission to say, ‘Hey, this really a thing’.”

Keeping older women, who want to work, in work is a win for the women, their employers and the country, Theresa Gattung says. Photo / Sara Orme

It’s harder for those in traditionally female-dominated industries such as retail, health and food services, and in male-dominant industries such as manufacturing and transport, to ask for adjustments easier to provide for desk-bound workers, Gattung said.

But it didn’t have to be impossible - women could group together when approaching employers, and employers could be reminded looking after staff was vital for retention, equality and inclusion.

“Keeping women my age in the workforce, who want to be in the workforce, it’s a win for employers and it’s a win for the country, because we can’t afford to have people not contribute.”

Everyone had a responsibility to understand the impacts of menopause in the workplace, ANZ’s talent and culture general manager Michelle Russell said.

As well as events to raise awareness and normalise conversations about menopause, ANZ had flexible working and its 8000 employees could take sick leave anytime they were either mentally or physically not fit for work - which could include menopause.

“The diverse nature of work in New Zealand presents some challenges, but I encourage all employers to look at ways to normalise menopause, identify ways to support their female employees, and provide guidance for managers so they can support their staff.”

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.