Menopause In The Workplace: The Unique Challenges That Menopause Brings To Boardroom Women
As The Menopause Career Coach and a menopause influencer, I’ve seen first hand the unique challenges that boardroom women, C-suite executives, and female founders face during menopause. This pivotal life stage often coincides with their most demanding career moments, yet it remains a taboo topic in many boardrooms. It is, quite simply, overlooked.
The reality is that menopause is not just a personal issue; it’s a business imperative that requires tailored, multi-dimensional support to ensure women leaders can continue leading with confidence and clarity and not have to consider or make the devastating decision to either compromise their leadership and business growth ambitious, cut-back on their hours so they can privately find time to recharge against the unrelenting demands of the boardroom, or curtail their leadership careers completely and quit their boardroom lives.
Menopause typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, a critical period for women who are positioned at the heights of their leadership lives and boardroom careers. Symptoms such as hot flashes, sleep disturbances, and cognitive changes can significantly impact their performance and decision-making capabilities. But so does reduced risk appetite, questioning their decision making and feeling that they are losing their executive edge and peak performance.
Unfortunately, many HR and wellbeing teams fail to recognize the high-stakes and personalised nature of these issues, leaving women leaders to navigate this transition in their business and the boardroom without any resources that specifically tackles the solutions and professional expertise they need to keep leading and navigate menopause in their leadership lives. This oversight places organizations at risk of losing its most valuable leadership talent - talent that is currently in role and talent in the leadership pipeline, talent that is simply irreplaceable.
At this level the one size fits all menopause symptoms SAAS based App subscription doesn't work for this level of leadership.
Our mission at The Menopause Maze was born out of the recognition that traditional support systems and symptoms sessions are not enough for women leaders in menopause and current interventions are not working. We understand that the demands placed on women in leadership roles are unique and require a nuanced and multi-multi-dimentional approach. Menopause career coaching provides the specialized support that helps boardroom women maintain peak performance, take the guess work out of managing business issues alongside menopause, and enable them to lead and live without limits whilst still achieving their health and career aspirations. In short, so there is NOPAUSE™ to their leadership lives in menopause.
By incorporating personalized menopause career coaching into comprehensive wellness programs, we empower and equip these women with an evidence based method - a formula and framework to manage their leadership health without compromising their professional ambitions and give workplaces a proven optimisation method that attracts, retains and develops its top female talent whilst building top and bottom line business returns.
It's not an either or choice for women to choose between their health and hard-earned careers and nor should it be a choice that employers end up having to navigate either.
Our tailored and trade-marked strategies not only address symptoms management in the boardroom, but also focus on retaining leadership edge, enhancing executive presence, building new networks and creating personalised plans on equipping women leaders to continue to achieve their biggest career aspirations and business growth goals without compromise. This is crucial for women who are determined to maintain peak performance and lead without limits during their most challenging phases in menopause.
What menopause benefits do women leaders really want at work?
Our recent HR Benefits Research Paper highlights the tangible benefits of investing in menopause-specific support. Companies that prioritize career coaching for menopausal leadership employees have reported:
a 58% improvement in performance,
a 51% reduction in sickness absence,
and a 65% increase in career progression for women.
This is particularly vital for organizations looking to attract and retain high-caliber talent in and into leadership positions in the natural ages of menopause. The stats are clear that women are leaving their hard-earned and hard-fought for careers in menopause. In the UK The Fawcett Society shares that 1 in 10 working women left their jobs due to menopause symptoms and that 80% of employers say their employer hasn’t shared information, trained staff, or put in place a menopause absence policy.
A company’s reputation for inclusivity and employee well-being significantly impacts its ability to attract top talent. Professionals today seek employers who recognise and accommodate their diverse needs. Highlighting a commitment to diversity and employee health in job postings and onboarding programs sets a positive tone. Sharing stories from staff who have benefited from menopause bespoke benefits showcases a culture of openness and care.
Because of the very lack of understanding of employers and the scant to non-existent routes for women leaders to share what they want and need to keep well and working during their menopausal years we set up a campaign called #1MillionMenopauseVoices. This is to acknowledge the 1 million women already forced out of the UK workforce because of menopause and to ensure that that never happens again. We have broadened the campaign and encourage women in all parts of the world to take our 90 second survey.
We know that women are also being diagnosed with neurological-diverse conditions during menopause so we have equally included new questions into the survey that address the needs of this demographic. Get involved and get your voice heard - we want to hear from 1 million women around the world - and we want to hear from you.
What else does improving menopause optimisation produce for boardrooms?
Addressing menopause in the boardroom also enhances organizational reputation, making companies more appealing to socially conscious investors. Women today are seeking employers that acknowledge their unique needs, provide a supportive environment and have a socially responsible employer value proposition. By cultivating a culture of openness and understanding around menopause, organizations can position themselves as progressive workplaces.
Having formal menopause policies signals to women that their organization values their contributions and well-being. Key components for women leaders should include symptoms and health support, confidentiality assurances, and health benefits that cover menopause career related treatments and complimentary career and business coaching. Additionally, fostering open communication through awareness campaigns creates a supportive community that reduces stigma and encourages dialogue.
Menopause is a crucial phase that should not limit women in leadership roles. By recognizing the complexities of this experience and offering strategic support, we can help them achieve their boldest goals - leading and thriving in business and the boardroom, leadership and life without fear or hesitation. As The Menopause Career Coach, I’m here to partner with companies and individuals on this journey, ensuring that women feel focused and fully equipped to successfully navigate menopause and retain their boardroom and business brilliance in this vital stage of their leadership lives.
NOPAUSE™ necessary.
How can we help?
Our workplace method provides innovative coaching, business and consulting solutions designed to support both employees and employers. It includes practical resources that compliment and blend into your existing tailored Employee Assistance Programs. By integrating NoPause™ method into HR strategies, organisations can truly optimise their outcomes both in terms of digit dial improvements to retention, wellbeing and the wider P&L.
As The Menopause Career Coach, I’m here to assist companies and career focused C-Suite women and women business leaders to keep growing their careers and companies with NOPAUSE™ in menopause.