Menopause Communication Tips for Leaders

© Thea O’Connor, Director, Menopause at Work®.

Leaders are increasingly being called upon to be fluent in and responsive to a wide range of personal, health and social issues that can affect employee wellbeing — from mental health and domestic violence to financial stress and gender identity.

Women’s health is now receiving more attention in the workplace, including menopause.

Some people leaders may be groaning inside, thinking, “Do I really have to talk about menopause with my staff? Haven’t things gone a bit too far?”

I do feel for workplaces and the ever-mounting list of ‘issues’ they are expected to cater for. However, menopause isn’t a ‘problem’ — it’s a natural life stage. And it isn’t something that affects just a few people. All of your female staff will experience it.

This makes menopause a workforce issue, not just a personal wellbeing issue. And that means it has a place within the responsibilities of leaders.

As a leader, your job is to help remove barriers that can prevent women from progressing their careers through midlife. This simply makes good business sense, to work on retaining your most experienced people and enabling them to continue contributing at their full potential.

One of the most fundamental barriers for women experiencing the menopause transition is the silence and stigma that has surrounded this life stage for centuries.

The starting point, therefore, is to create a culture where people can talk about menopause just as they can about any other health condition or life stage. This is where leaders can play a powerful role in normalising the conversation.

Create a culture where women can talk about menopause and ask for support, without fear of discrimination, so they can remain successful in their roles.

Here are a few tips for how you can talk about menopause at work:

1. Get comfortable saying the word

When the University of Leicester launched its menopause policy, they encouraged everyone to say the word menopause three times a day, simply to get used to saying it!

Practice saying the word in appropriate workplace contexts. The more comfortable you are with it, the easier it becomes for others.

2. Sell the vision

Your job as a leader is to help your people understand how becoming more menopause-inclusive can benefit the organisation.

In your verbal or written communications, describe how menopause awareness and support can help you achieve your business goals or live up to your stated values.

Be specific. For example, you might talk about retaining experienced women, supporting career progression or creating a workplace where people can perform at their best.

3. Tell a story

When presenting on menopause for a construction company, I remember how powerfully the most senior man in the organisation opened the session.He shared how his wife had experienced a terrible menopause. Her workplace was unsupportive and unwilling to offer flexibility, so she was eventually forced to quit her job.

It was devastating for her. She loved teaching. He said he didn’t want anyone on his watch to have the same experience.

What a brilliant way to create an authorising environment — a clear signal from the top that this was something they could and should talk about.

What story could you tell? It could be a personal one, if you feel comfortable, or you could describe someone else’s experience. If you are talking about your wife or partner, make sure you have their permission first!

Or you could simply acknowledge that you don’t know much about menopause and that you are keen to learn.  I’ve seen male leaders do this really well.

4. Set the tone

The more you can talk about menopause in a matter-of-fact, no big deal way, the more you help set the tone for others.

I loved reading about ANZ executive Maile Carnegie, who, while addressing 200 senior leaders at a town hall meeting, stopped her presentation to announce that she was experiencing a hot flush.

She simply said: “I’m a woman of a certain age, and if you don’t know what this is, it’s called a hot flush.”

Now that’s normalising the conversation!

5. Show up

Be available to introduce a guest speaker on menopause in your workplace or help launch a menopause policy.

Your presence sends a clear message: I care about this, we can talk about it, and we are prepared to do something about it.

6. Integrate it

You don’t necessarily have to feature menopause in isolation. You can mention it alongside your other employee benefits or existing policies — for example, as one of the reasons someone might need to access flexible work arrangements.

Integrating menopause into the way you already talk about workplace wellbeing can make it feel less like a separate or ‘special’ issue.

7. Respect boundaries

Never single people out. As one woman said to me during my manager training:“Don’t make me the poster girl for menopause!”

The aim is to create a culture where someone can raise menopause with their manager if they want to. It is never your role as a leader to diagnose someone or assume that menopause is the reason for a particular behaviour, performance issue or absence.

Create the environment. Then let individuals decide whether they want to speak up.

8. Role model it

Leaders can also role model what it looks like to talk about health and wellbeing and to take care of yourself. Use the wellbeing services available to you and let people know you are.

When leaders demonstrate that health and work can be talked about openly and appropriately, it gives others permission to do the same.