Wellbeing Wednesday: Menopause awareness in the workplace

The menopause is one of the biggest health issues affecting women.

It is a natural process nearly all women experience, but negative stereotypes can mean that it is rarely discussed, especially in the workplace.  

The menopause marks the end of the menstrual cycle as oestrogen and other hormone levels begin to drop as women reach their late 40s and early 50s.

Menopause is not an illness or medical condition, but according to nhs.uk most women will experience some mild associated symptoms caused by these hormonal changes, and as many as one in four may experience severe symptoms. These can include hot flushes, headaches and migraines, nausea and dizziness and emotional changes such as anxiety, low mood or mood swings and problems with memory or concentration.

At Unipart Logistics’ NHS Supply Chain site in Normanton, a chance conversation between two colleagues led to a mission to break down the taboos about talking about the menopause at work. 

Pam Henderson did not feel able to discuss the symptoms she was living with on a daily basis until one day her colleague and Wellbeing Champion Steve Jones asked her how she was feeling. Experiencing a particularly difficult day Pam finally disclosed she was struggling at work, often feeling uncomfortable, hot and fatigued during her busy shift.  

The team at Normanton was keen to support Pam, and several other female colleagues who had never spoken about experiencing similar issues also joined the campaign, highlighting just what a taboo subject the menopause had been seen to be.  

Steve explains: “We thought a menopause awareness day would be brilliant. We worked as a team with managers and colleagues. We had a stand with information for people to take away, signposting to further support and we ran a wordsearch competition featuring words associated with the menopause. I was amazed to see nearly everybody on site took part!” 

Pam said: “We feel we’ve genuinely been listened to and that we matter as individuals.”

Here Pam and Steve share their story about highlighting menopause awareness at NHS Supply Chain Normanton and the effect this has had on engagement at the site...*

*this was recorded in line with the required Covid measures at the time of filming

General Manager Greg Lowe said: “The whole team really got behind the campaign, but it was driven by colleagues and I’m very proud of what they have achieved. 

"Just starting the conversation about the menopause has increased awareness on site of what colleagues may be going through and we’ve put some really simple steps in place to make sure we can support colleagues at work. 

"One colleague told me this has transformed her experience of coming to work because there is now an open platform to talk about these things, where once she and others felt they had to suffer in silence and just ‘get on with it’.”  

LifeWorks, our employee and family assistance provider, is available for all UK colleagues.

If you, or someone you know, are struggling with issues connected with the menopause, LifeWorks contains lots of useful advice, including some simple ways to help alleviate symptoms and how to support someone going through the menopause.

Free confidential support and counselling for colleagues and up to five family members on 0800 169 1920. No account is needed to access this telephone support.

For online support please visit unipart.lifeworks.com or the LifeWorks mobile app - if you don't already have a login, find out more about how to sign up here.