Tuesday 18th of October is World Menopause Day (WMD) – a day dedicated to raising awareness of the menopause and the support options available for improving health and wellbeing.
WMD is all about supporting women who are feeling lost and are going through menopause or perimenopause. No two person has the same experience and being aware and able to recognise symptoms is the first step to managing them. This year’s theme aims to raise awareness of Brain Fog and Memory Difficulties in Menopause.
According to the International Menopause Society (imsociety.org) ‘Menopause brain fog is a group of symptoms that happens around the time of the menopause, including difficulty remembering words and numbers, disruptions in daily life (misplacing items like keys), trouble concentrating (absent mindedness, losing a train of thought, being more easily distracted), difficulty switching between tasks, forgetting the reason for doing something (like why you came into a room), and forgetting appointments and events.’ Brain fog is normal and common at midlife, but these problems can affect quality of life as well as performance in the workplace.
A recent survey by the Fawcett Society found that one in 10 women who have worked while going through menopause have left a job because of their symptoms. The survey, believed to be the largest conducted on menopausal women in the UK, also found that 14 per cent of women had reduced their hours at work, 14 per cent had gone part-time and eight per cent had not applied for promotion.
Here at Andron, we want to ensure employees who are going through this crucial time in their lives are fully supported throughout, to ensure they continue to remain in the workplace and achieve their full potential.
Central to this commitment is our menopause policy and menopause awareness training delivered to all management staff, which form part of our wider strategy to improve gender equality. The overall purpose is to create an open and honest workplace where managers and employees can discuss any issues associated with the menopause, and to ensure the necessary support is known and offered to employees when needed.
Menopause can affect people’s confidence and can be very daunting. We want to make sure that anyone experiencing menopausal symptoms gets the support and understanding they deserve to help them thrive at work.
For more information on World Menopause Day head to imsociety.org.