Menopause and wellbeing

Menopause isn’t just a woman’s issue, it’s also a workplace issue. If perimenopause or menopause symptoms are affecting you at work, or you're thinking about reducing your hours or leaving work altogether, there are steps you and your manager can take to make you feel more comfortable.

Everyone will experience the menopause differently. For some, symptoms can be severe and can affect them both physically and mentally. Some symptoms will last a few months, some will last years. Common menopause and perimenopause symptoms include hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, headaches and migraines, muscle aches and joint pains. Menopause can also affect your mental health, including anxiety, mood swings and low self-esteem, problems with memory or concentration ("brain fog"). Visit the NHS website to read more about menopause and perimenopause symptoms.

Around 5 million women in the UK are aged between 45 and 55 years and potentially experiencing symptoms of the menopause. Managing these symptoms at work can be difficult, and many women find it hard to disclose their symptoms to their employer. 1 in 4 have considered leaving their job as a result. Feeling tired and unable to concentrate and taking time off work to manage symptoms can lower self-confidence. Instead, some women reduce their working hours or stop working altogether, despite the financial impact. This can also impact later life, as women approach retirement with smaller pension pots.

Reducing your working hours or retiring early because of menopause symptoms can impact your short and long-term financial wellbeing. While the gender pension gap begins as soon as women enter the workplace, reducing your pension contributions at any age can affect your retirement savings.

The gender pension gap is the percentage difference between mens and womens pensions. It happens because women often earn less than men, take time off for maternity leave or for caring responsibilities. By the time women are in their fifties their pension pots could be 51% smaller than a mans, and by the time they reach retirement their pension savings could be 55% smaller. So if you're thinking about reducing your hours or leaving your job because of menopause symptoms, it's important to speak to your manager or HR and think about the long-term financial impact it might have, and whether you can make any adjustments.