How to design menopause-friendly workplaces
Once considered a taboo topic, menopause has now found its rightful place in the spotlight, says Jean Hewitt, Senior Inclusive Design Consultant at Buro Happold.
Following the launch of a parliamentary inquiry last summer, a much-needed conversation on the workplace treatment of women experiencing menopause has begun.
Common symptoms can include fatigue, anxiety, hot flushes, migraines, alongside moments of ‘brain fog’ and difficulty concentrating. While not all menopausal women will experience these symptoms, for those who do it can be severely debilitating.
A recent survey revealed that more than one million women in the UK could feel forced to leave their jobs due to a lack of support from their employer. It’s time for businesses and designers of the built environment to make a change if they want to retain this incredibly important – and in fact, fastest growing – workforce demographic.
While menopause itself isn’t classed as a disability, for those who experience severe symptoms it would be constituted as such and therefore trigger the obligation for reasonable adjustments to be made in the workplace.
Even small changes could have a huge impact for someone experiencing menopausal symptoms. They could benefit other individuals as well, for instance, those experiencing hormonal changes due to gender transitioning, IVF, PMT and some endocrine conditions. So what action can be taken?
Hot flushes are a common symptom so temperature regulation is important. Many offices have performance monitoring systems, and due to the Covid pandemic, this now often includes air sensors.
With the rise of hot desking and hybrid working, allowing employees to access environmental information on air quality and temperature – for instance, via a heat map of the office – would allow individuals to book a desk location where they would feel more comfortable. Even having access to small desk fans could help to offer some relief when overheating.
