Employers must do more to support women going through the menopause or risk losing some of their most experienced and high-performing employees.
“Women in their 40s and 50s are highly valuable in the workplace. They are at the peak of their careers and have a wealth of knowledge, experience, and talent to provide and share. It is vital, therefore, that they are supported through the menopause to enable them to be the very best versions of themselves,” said Debra Clark, head of wellbeing at Towergate Employee Benefits..
Office for National Statistics data shows that average employee earnings peak for those in their 40s and 50s, while Nobel Prize winners are typically around 55 when they collect their award.
Clark said: “Women of any age bring diversity and unique qualities to a workplace but women in their 40s and 50s bring a particular enrichment for diversity of thought and emotional intelligence that drives the success of a business.”
Retaining these women is not only an issue of fairness, but of business performance. Companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on executive teams are 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than those in the bottom quartile, according to McKinsey research.
However, many women continue to face barriers at work due to a lack of menopause support. Ten percent of women who worked during the menopause have left a job because of their symptoms, while 87 percent of working women want their employer to be more supportive on women’s health.
Clark noted that there is a growing range of specialist menopause support available to employers, from digital platforms and one-to-one consultations to access to menopause-trained healthcare professionals who can prescribe HRT and provide testing kits. She added that virtual GPs, private medical insurance, employee assistance programmes (EAPs) and cash plans can also play a role in helping women manage physical and mental health symptoms.
“Menopause is not a performance issue, it’s a hormonal one. When businesses acknowledge this and implement supportive policies, everyone benefits. Retaining experienced women not only preserves institutional knowledge but also sustains the diversity that drives innovation and profitability,” she said.
