Margaret Rees1, Johannes Bitzer2, Antonio Cano3, Iuliana Ceausu4, Peter Chedraui5, Fatih Durmusoglu6, Risto Erkkola7, Marije Geukes8, Alan Godfrey9, Dimitrios G Goulis10, Amanda Griffiths11, Claire Hardy12, Martha Hickey13, Angelica Lindén Hirschberg14, Myra Hunter15, Ludwig Kiesel16, Gavin Jack17, Patrice Lopes18, Gita Mishra19, Henk Oosterhof20, Amos Pines21, Kathleen Riach22, Chrisandra Shufelt23, Mick van Trotsenburg24, Rachel Weiss25, Irene Lambrinoudaki26. 1. Women's Centre, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, United Kingdom. Electronic address: margaret.rees@st-hildas.ox.ac.uk. 2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland. 3. Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Valencia and INCLIVA, Valencia, Spain. 4. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology I, Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, "Dr. I. Cantacuzino" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania. 5. Instituto de Investigación e Innovación en Salud Integral (ISAIN), Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Católica de Santiago de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Ecuador. 6. İstanbul Medipol International School of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. 7. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Central Hospital, Turku, Finland. 8. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ziekenhuisgroep Twente (Hospital Group Twente), Post box 7600, 7600 SZ Almelo, Netherlands. 9. Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, United Kingdom. 10. Unit of Reproductive Endocrinology, First Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. 11. School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2TU, United Kingdom. 12. Division of Health Research, Faculty of Health and Medicine, Lancaster University Lancaster, LA1 4AT, United Kingdom. 13. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia; The Royal Women's Hospital, Victoria, Australia. 14. Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet and Department of Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. 15. Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience,Kings College London, London SE1 9RT, United Kingdom. 16. Departmen of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany. 17. Monash Business School, Monash University, Caulfield East VIC 3145, Australia. 18. Polyclinique de l'Atlantique Saint Herblain. F 44819 St Herblain France, Université de Nantes F 44093 Nantes Cedex. France. 19. School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. 20. Werkindeovergang Consultancy, Lange Singel 24, 9243KJ Bakkeveen, Netherlands. 21. Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel. 22. Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom. 23. Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles CA 90048, United States. 24. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital St. Poelten-Lilienfeld, Austria. 25. Menopause Café charity, c/o Rowan, 4 Kinnoull Street, Perth PH1 5EN, United Kingdom. 26. Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, there are 657 million women aged 45-59 and around half contribute to the labor force during their menopausal years. There is a diversity of experience of menopause in the workplace. It is shaped not only by menopausal symptoms and context but also by the workplace environment. It affects quality of life, engagement, performance, motivation and relations with employers. AIM: To provide recommendations for employers, managers, healthcare professionals and women to make the workplace environment more menopause supportive, and to improve women's wellbeing and their ability to remain in work. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature review and consensus of expert opinion. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS: Workplace health and wellbeing frameworks and policies should incorporate menopausal health as part of the wider context of gender and age equality and reproductive and post-reproductive health. Workplaces should create an open, inclusive and supportive culture regarding menopause, involving, if available, occupational health professionals and human resource managers working together. Women should not be discriminated against, marginalized or dismissed because of menopausal symptoms. Health and allied health professionals should recognize that, for some women, menopausal symptoms can adversely affect the ability to work, which can lead to reduction of working hours, underemployment or unemployment, and consequently financial insecurity in later life.
INTRODUCTION: Worldwide, there are 657 million women aged 45-59 and around half contribute to the labor force during their menopausal years. There is a diversity of experience of menopause in the workplace. It is shaped not only by menopausal symptoms and context but also by the workplace environment. It affects quality of life, engagement, performance, motivation and relations with employers. AIM: To provide recommendations for employers, managers, healthcare professionals and women to make the workplace environment more menopause supportive, and to improve women's wellbeing and their ability to remain in work. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Literature review and consensus of expert opinion. SUMMARY RECOMMENDATIONS: Workplace health and wellbeing frameworks and policies should incorporate menopausal health as part of the wider context of gender and age equality and reproductive and post-reproductive health. Workplaces should create an open, inclusive and supportive culture regarding menopause, involving, if available, occupational health professionals and human resource managers working together. Women should not be discriminated against, marginalized or dismissed because of menopausal symptoms. Health and allied health professionals should recognize that, for some women, menopausal symptoms can adversely affect the ability to work, which can lead to reduction of working hours, underemployment or unemployment, and consequently financial insecurity in later life.