When conversations about peri/menopause are a 'no-go' at work

There are so many layers to workplace cultures that go beyond values on walls. I once heard that true organisational culture exists in the gap between what you preach and what you permit.

It's sobering as it exposes all the behaviours and ways of being that are quietly tolerated (by going unchallenged) that undermine the polished versions of culture.

Incongruence can be felt, even if it goes unspoken.

It became clear to me on Wednesday evening this week that some conversations are off-limits in particular working environments.

I hosted a Midlife Reset online workshop - which was essentially a gentle, welcoming space to invite people to revisit midlife through a lens of curiosity. We acknowledged the significant hormonal, biological and neurological aspects of this transitional time and the discomfort of the lived experience. We also questioned the way society has a tendency to internalise and pathologise peri/menopause, when often it's the body's intelligent response to an unsustainable way of living.

We aren't designed to live at 100mph and take on conflicting roles within the confines of rigid systems. Spoiler alert; perhaps women can't actually have it all? (Unless we want to burn out trying).

When we explored the possibility of having these conversations at work there were comments in the chat and courageous contributors to the conversation who said this is a no-go area, especially in corporate contexts. In highly competitive work environments which uphold productivity, a conversation about the reality of peri/menopause can look like exposure of vulnerability...and that can have dire consequences for career progression.

The invitation is for employers to look more closely at the implications of culture on wellbeing. And those who tend to compartmentalise these discussions under 'fluffy' and 'nice to have' risk overlooking the detrimental impact of not having conversations in a safe space on retention, skills and, ultimately, the bottom line.

The hard truth is that trust-based, meaningful support through midlife at work is a health, societal and economic imperative.

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