Make your office menopause-friendly
October is Menopause Awareness Month. After years of stigma workplaces are finally getting on board with the fact that menopause is not a ‘women’s issue’ to be brushed under the carpet and instead needs to be acknowledged as something which affects all employees, female and male.
OSiT put our Menopause Guidance Policy in place in 2022 but it is scary how many businesses haven’t taken menopause into consideration. Especially when (as highlighted in a recent Property Week article) you consider “menopausal or peri-menopausal women are the fastest growing segment of the workforce”. It’s important that everyone in a company understands how this period of a woman’s life can impact them.
While the impact of menopause can vary greatly recent studies highlight some interesting (and frankly quite depressing) effects. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that 67% of 2000 women surveyed claimed menopause symptoms such as anxiety and brain fog had negatively impacted their job performance. The global Deloitte Women at Work Report for 2024 flagged that women feel less comfortable discussing this health challenge with their managers than in the previous year, and 39% who experience pain or discomfort due to menopause work through it (almost a 50% increase from 2023).
The impact for businesses is potentially enormous when increased absenteeism and drops in productivity are taken into account. In the UK 1 in 10 women leave their jobs as a result of unbearable menopause symptoms, and double the number consider doing so. Companies who do not take menopause seriously risk not only the loss of knowledge, but of role models and mentors for the younger generation, not to mention the positive impact of gender diversity within a business.
The UK government has recognised menopause symptoms as a potential disability under the Equality Act 2010 and requires employers to make reasonable adjustments. The Labour Party is proposing larger companies will need to implement menopause action plans, which may include paid time off, temperature-controlled areas and uniform adjustments.
However, regardless of any state mandated action it makes good sense for all companies to try to make their workplaces menopause friendly. Thoughtful adjustments can create a more inclusive, healthy and ultimately productive environment for all employees. Some changes are easy to make, while others may require more planning or a rethink of office norms.
- Flexible policies – implementing flexible working hours, adopting some remote working patterns, giving employees the option to change location within the same workspace. Giving employees more agency can be a big boost to morale, as well as making work and life more pleasant and manageable.
- Temperature – reassessing office temperature settings (historically set to men’s metabolic rates) so they are reflective of women’s needs too, and consideration should be given to creating warmer or cooler zones within the office. Also incorporating natural materials in an office can improve thermal comfort and temperature control.
- Quiet spaces – providing easy access to quiet rooms. If possible consider creating a wellness space or chill-out zone too, where employees experiencing hypersensitivity or migraines can retreat to a calm environment.
- Lighting control – ensuring lighting is appropriate to reduce headaches or photosensitivity and making sure any glare from windows can be resolved with the use of blinds.
- Comfortable and effective design – assessing ways to make an office more ergonomic can make a big difference, whether this is placing desks near natural light or providing sitting-standing desks.
- Sustenance – ensuring employees have easy access to drinking water is a must and providing healthy snacks can help employees to maintain their energy levels.
We focus on creating the best flexible workspace for our clients’ businesses to flourish – quality and customised fit outs, curated design, plenty of communal break out spaces and meeting rooms, free refreshments, professional yet friendly onsite teams managing each building. If you are looking for an office in London, Cardiff or Edinburgh contact us to discuss how we can help you to create your dream office or to book a tour of one of our business centres.
