The Drum: I nearly left advertising because of menopause.

As women, we have to deal with what I can only describe as a significant amount of ‘health shit’. And in an industry that’s made up of 55% women, these numerous health conditions remain one of the biggest barriers to women progressing and staying in the workplace.

Yes. It’s more accepted these days that women have more complex health needs throughout their lives, but there simply isn’t enough information, education and support to reduce the stigma and help women navigate the challenges. Businesses need to be more proactive in creating the right environment, workplace policies and practices that allow women to thrive because the lack of consistent support and flexibility is failing women at work.

73% of women say that they struggle to do their work in the way they want to because of their period – whether low energy, pain or concentration issues; 57% of women believe that gynae or other women’s health conditions have negatively impacted their careers. One in three pregnancies end in miscarriage, and 3.5 million people have difficulty conceiving, with the stress of infertility often leading to further mental health conditions. One study found that 90% of infertile women regularly experience feelings of depression. Only 22% of women and trans men currently experiencing the menopause disclose their status at work.

Almost a quarter of women have considered quitting their jobs because of menstrual or menopause issues, and one in 10 women are actively planning to quit. When it comes to menopause, we’ve already lost over a million women from the workforce because it just hasn’t been able to cater for their needs.

But we need them. Boy, do we need them. Not just for equality or equity (sure that’s nice), but because they are a business imperative. Numerous studies have shown that women consistently outperform their male counterparts when it comes to the commercial success of businesses. When Harvard Business Review reviewed what it took to be a great leader, they found that women outscored men in 17 of the 19 key leadership capabilities. These capabilities include ethics, organization, connection, openness and nurturing growth.

Do any of these skills remind you of a woman you admire?

This becomes particularly problematic when it comes to executive leadership because after the age of 40, a more marked gender imbalance and pay gap really kicks in.

Now, it’s probably not fair to say that any exodus is entirely down to a little biological phase that 51% of the world will go through. But it’s not a wild exaggeration to say that menopause can have an enormous impact on women in the workplace. And speaking from personal experience, the dozen or so core symptoms that I’ve struggled with over the past five years or so have often led me precariously close to jacking it all in.

According to industry data, ‘most’ agencies have menopause policies in place. And there’s no doubt that a menopause policy is helpful.

But how often are policies actually engaged with? How much information and support is in them? How many people have read these policies? Who has read those policies? Are they just the perimenopausal and menopausal women trying to navigate hell, or are they all those wonderful allies who want to understand more and know how to support? And aren’t policies just a little, well, dry?

I couldn’t possibly know for sure. But I’m pretty convinced that most people have not read any of these policies. That they exist is a bonus, but it’s not enough. As with almost all issues, we’re hard-wired to be disengaged unless we either need it or we’re forced to. I didn’t read any work maternity policy until I was actually pregnant. I’ve written most of our agency policies, but I’m sure no one else has read them until they absolutely had to for one reason or another.

Dark Horses has a menopause policy that took me three months to try to write in a way that is understandable, informative, supportive and helpful. It’s open source, and I’d be thrilled if any organization used it as a basis for putting something formal in place. Yes, it’s ‘just’ a policy, but I always thought of it as a call to arms, an education, a resource for everyone to just be a bit more informed and a bit better at both going through and helping others through menopause.

But people knowing, people understanding, people supporting makes an immeasurable difference. It’s not enough to have something sitting on a metaphorical dusty shelf. We need these things to permeate through the culture of the agency. It should be incumbent on everyone, not just ‘the oldies’, the women, or the management. Everyone can and should make a difference. Because if we want to retain balanced leadership and for our companies to succeed, then everyone needs to feel a responsibility to understand more and to support better.

Let’s have women’s health champions who aren’t only female and are trained in the same way that mental health first aiders are. Let’s involve and empower staff in reviewing practices and policies to make them fit for purpose. Let’s effectively implement them—which means communicating with everyone about their intent and ensuring the business lives up to them, both in terms of management support and allyship. Let’s communicate clearly about what support is available and how it can be accessed.

Above all, let’s just talk about it, acknowledge it, be empathetic about it, and stop women from leaving our industry. Our workplaces will undeniably be better for it if we do.

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