Opinion: The silent crisis in the workplace

A woman wearing a blue suit and a white shirt stands confidently, showcasing a professional appearance.
Some of the hardest workers I know are women in their 50s and 60s. They just know how to get s**t done.

By Stacey Lee, FIVEAA Afternoons

They are natural multi-taskers with life experience. Often mums with adult children they’ve honed certain skills – negotiation, time management, problem solving, communication and organisation. Just to name a few.

Any employer will tell you keeping good staff is paramount. Yet most workplaces are ignoring simple, and impactful changes which would help this cohort of women stay in the workforce longer; menopause and perimenopausal policies.

Stats from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show women are retiring up to seven years early, and 12 years before they want to, due to menopause. That leads to losses of more than $575,000 in salary and superannuation.

Take that in for a minute.

Half the population retires before they want to due to a condition they can’t avoid. It’s not a choice.

It is hard to quantify how much of an impact those statistics have on the wider economy, but you’d have to assume that if businesses are losing experienced, trained staff seven to 12 years sooner than they should, it is impacting their bottom line too.

A big part of the problem is awareness and understanding. Despite 51 per cent of the population going through this natural transition menopause is rarely spoken about and is still stigmatised. But that is slowly changing. Slowly.

Recently a federal government committee investigated the issue and strongly recommended an overhaul of how employers view, and deal with, the matter. The biggest issue that could be addressed is workplace flexibility.

The Senate Standing Committee on Community Affairs stopped short of recommending menopausal or fertility leave, instead saying small, workplace changes could be enough to value women and keep them working longer.

“Many participants to the inquiry outlined that in many cases, individuals experiencing difficulty with their menopause symptoms may not require specific leave,” it said.

“Rather, they could manage these symptoms with reasonable adjustments in the workplace, including greater workplace flexibility.”

Some adjustments the Menopause Information Pack for Organisations recommends are really simple and could be implemented within a day:

  • provide easier access to cold drinking water
  • stagger lunch over two half-hour breaks to help muscle pains
  • more flexible start and finish times
  • move workspaces to an area which can be more easily temperature-controlled
  • provide a desk fan
  • provide uniforms made from breathable, natural fabrics.

These won’t work for all workplaces but that’s just a few, easy, suggestions.

Surely a desk fan, or a slightly later start time, is worth keeping a portion of the workforce working longer?

If we’re serious about workplace gender equality, then businesses need to start supporting half the population to stay working longer.

Menopause and perimenopause are not a choice, and they should not be ignored.

Helping women through the mandatory transition makes good business sense.

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