Here’s an HR challenge more than worthy of DisruptHR: Say menopause at least once a day at work for the next five days. That includes you men out there.
If, as Julie Dennis pointed out to her DisruptHR audience in Cambridge, UK, they can talk about menopause in the House of Lords, which they did last spring, “We really can be talking about it anywhere.”
How did menopause become a workplace issue? Like so many other issues, it has always been one, just not one HR much recognized and fewer still talked about. Yet, says Dennis, a menopause coach & trainer at Menopause At Work, “Menopause symptoms affect work, and your working environment can affect your symptoms.”
We most hear about hot flashes. But Dennis points out, “It’s actually the psychological impact that has the most impact in the workplace.” Menopause can affect anxiety or depression, she explains. It can create brain fog and forgetfulness and low levels of concentration.”
From an HR perspective, “What you need to be looking at is presenteeism.” What Dennis means by this is that HR should be talking about menopause and addressing its effects in the workplace. There are three areas to focus on: education, awareness and support. What she recommends — besides the challenge of just using the word at work — Dennis outlines in her talk.
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