5 tips for asking your HR for menopause leave
The Big M (menopause) marks a significant milestone in women’s lives. Menopause, along with perimenopause, is a time of transition when women’s reproductive hormones begin to change. This natural stage of life generally begins nearly between forty-five to fifty-five for utmost women, and it is during this time when unpleasing symptoms alike as night sweats and hot flushes, are at their peak.
New research by integrated women’s healthcare brand SFI Health, home of Flordis Femular ® found that menopause symptoms may also impact women’s careers and professional lives. The research discovered that one in five (eighteen per cent) Australian women have had to adjust their work-life to deal with the symptoms of menopause, including hot flushes, sweating, insomnia, mood swings, perversity, mild anxiety, and joint pain.
The research also found that four out of ten women need to ask for additional time off to cope with the symptoms of menopause, and nearly two-thirds required redundant doctor’s appointments within work hours. Yet despite the significant number of women needing to adjust their work lives to cope with menopause, almost half of the women surveyed (forty-six per cent) reported that they didn't feel comfortable speaking openly to their manager or colleagues about their menopause symptoms.
As conscientious, career-driven women, we may oft prioritise professional success over all other concerns, including our health and wellbeing. However, here are five tips on how to ask your boss for redundant menopause leave.
If you are finding managing menopause symptoms in the workplace a challenging experience.
1. Be Assertive:
Do not try to hide your symptoms or feel pressure to sweep your experiences under the rug. However, also you and your director or workers can start the discussion on the same page If you're honest and straightforward from the get-go about how you are feeling. Remember, you do not need to go into specific detail about your symptoms, but at least indicating the changes you are experiencing will help guide discussions with your team.
2. Ask for a letter of support from your GP:
If you think you may be passing the symptoms of menopause, you may want to visit a healthcare practitioner for advice and possible treatment pathways. A GP may also be able to help you determine whether you need to ask your employer for redundant menopause leave, and they may provide you with a letter of support.
3. Do not make up excuses:
Due to the private nature of menopause, multiple women may, unfortunately, feel embarrassed to ask for menopause leave. Menopause is a natural, transitional stage of life, and you should not feel embarrassed to take the appropriate pathway to look after your health and wellbeing. However, it is recommended that you educate them as much as possible about this stage in life, without needing to go into specifics about your own experiences, If you worry your male colleagues or master won't be as understanding.
4. Seek out credible resources:
When it comes to educating the people around you in the workplace about menopause, a great place to start is by providing them with credible resources that will educate them about this life stage. There is lots of information floating around online and in the media about menopause. However, seek out believable, well-researched resources by doctors and healthcare practitioners, If you are finding it tough to explain what you are going through to those around you.
5. Know that you do not have to put up with symptoms in silence:
Multiple women might be under the impression that they just need to put up with their menopause symptoms in the workplace, or danger jeopardising their career. The truth is, there are several options out there to help women relieve menopause symptoms in the workplace, including a naturally-derived extract Ze-450. A clinically researched extract of the plant Actaea racemosa, these types of natural extracts can help relieve menopause symptoms that can be quite challenging to deal with both in and outside the work environment.
You may wish to see your doctor talk over options and if they are applicable for you. Know that you can get relief from your symptoms, and do not need to sweat it in silence. Inform your platoon along the way and ask for their support in adjusting the work environment to be as menopause-friendly as possible.
Remember, menopause is a natural, transitional stage in a woman’s life, and to never let another person, or circumstances outside of your control, make you feel less than because of it. As women, it is important that we all feel empowered and well-educated to speak about our menopause symptoms openly and prioritise looking after our health as much as we prioritise our careers.