Why the Menopause should no longer be a taboo in workforces

As of 31^st March 2022, there were 46,955 female police officers in the 43 police forces covering England and Wales. This makes up 33.5% of the workforce, up 1% from the previous year.

Seeing a growth in the number of female officers, albeit a small one is a positive step for better gender representation in the country’s forces. As workforces grow their female and cisgender female numbers, whether that be in policing or the private sector, it’s extremely important that women’s health matters are being valued and accommodated to see a continue in the growth of female workers.

One of the main stages and health issues that females face is the menopause, the experience will vary significantly for each female and the time that the menopause occurs is even something that can vary. For most women, the menopause occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, though some women will experience the menopause earlier in life.

In recent years, the acknowledgement of the impact that the menopause can have on female workforce members has been highlighted. In 2019, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) published their EveryonePause report, which looked into the impact of the menopause in the workplace.

The key findings of this report were that, of the respondents who had either gone through or were going through the menopause:

• 76% said that they had found symptoms of the menopause either moderately or extremely problematic at work.
• more than 8 in 10 said that tiredness and sleep disturbances resulting from the menopause had been either moderately or extremely problematic for them at work.
• the majority said low mood and lower confidence as a result of the menopause had been either moderately or extremely problematic for them at work.

So, what is policing doing to recognise the impacts of the menopause on its female workforce?

In 2021, Thames Valley Police became the first British police force to achieve the status of being a recognised Menopause Friendly Employer, this has subsequently been followed by Leicestershire Police in January 2023.

The Menopause Friendly Accreditation defines what it means to be accredited:

“Being an accredited Menopause Friendly Employer organisation demonstrates that you will put equity, diversity, inclusion and your colleagues’ wellbeing centre stage, showing your dedication to making your organisation a great place to work.

“The Menopause Friendly Accreditation shows that you have a clear understanding of how menopause can have an effect at work and shows that you care about the wellbeing of your colleagues.

Committing to being menopause friendly means you’re working towards long-term, sustainable change in your workplace, fostering an inclusive culture where everyone can be at their best. It means you’ll find it easier to retain talent and to recruit new colleagues, as a place where people want to work.”

How can your organisation become more menopause friendly?

 Making your organisation a menopause friendly environment shouldn’t be something that involves rigorous change and policies, it’s simply about listening to your colleagues/employees and valuing them in the same way you would with disabilities and other health requirements.

Here are some changes you can make within your organisation:

• Become an accredited Menopause Friendly Employer
• Educate your employees about the menopause, how the symptoms can impact someone at work and what changes could be made to improve the environment for menopausal colleagues.
• Talk about the menopause, it’s not a taboo! Encourage your employees to have open discussions around the menopause to understand more about its impacts.
• Provide training and workshops to help your employees learn how to support their colleagues. This training should not just be for menopausal women, for best results you should provide it to all within your organisation.
• Provide accessible guidance, whether this be a formal policy or information on how to support colleagues, make sure that everyone knows where the information is kept, how to access it and where to go for more information.