FSRH, BMS and RCOG joint response to the Women & Equalities Committee Inquiry into Menopause in the Workplace

The Royal College of Obstetricians, the British Menopause Society and the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare welcome the opportunity to jointly respond to the Women and Equalities Committee call for evidence on Menopause in the Workplace.

In our response we focused on the considerable impact that the menopause can have on women’s lives. It is in the workplace that women report facing the most difficulty in managing their symptoms. Menopause is still a taboo subject in many workplaces and many women fear they may be stigmatised for being menopausal.

Key points in our response:

• The menopause can have a significant impact on many women. There is a need for increased awareness and understanding of menopause in the workplace, including the wide range of symptoms that may be experienced, to ensure women are confident to seek help.
• Mandatory workplace policies should be introduced. Employers must ensure that policies are in place to help employees who are experiencing menopause-related symptoms and support them during their menopause transition. This will help keep women in the workforce and will help protect against discrimination due to menopause symptoms.
• Menopause policies should detail guidance and training for all staff, reasonable adjustments that can be made to the working environment, flexible working, and encourage a positive and open approach to menopause.

We recommend that business look at the recommendations made in this joint position statement by BMS, RCOG, Royal College of General Practitioners, FSRH, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) and the Faculty of Public Health (FPH), which made the following recommendations to address the urgent need to raise menopause awareness among all managers and staff.

• Employers should ensure that policies are in place to help employees who are experiencing menopause-related symptoms and support them during their menopause transition.
• Women should be encouraged to seek help for managing their menopausal symptoms and should be made aware of resources available for guidance. Information should also be provided to women on how they can access menopause advice and to make an informed decision on their management options.
• Employers should have defined pathways in place such as online training for employers and educational webinars on the menopause. This should be offered to managers, supervisors and team leaders. Employers should also include working flexibly (where possible) and adjustments to the workplace environment as part of such pathways.
• There is also a need for such processes to be rolled out nationally and to be included in local health service policies.

You can read our response in full here.