Introductory Note from Kris Cavanaugh Castro:
If you are a Male or Female Department Head, Team Leader, or Business Owner with multi-generational staff, this educational article will help you maintain the same respect and appreciation for your female employees as they transition through this natural period of life. Trust that the women in your organization will be just as valuable to you during their menopause transition as they have been previously, and take time out of your busy schedule to educate yourself on what they will be experiencing so you can support them as needed to maintain their productivity and effectiveness for you in whatever role they hold within your organization.
Guest Post by Carrie E. Pierce and MidlifeMystique.com
With every passing day in this aging nation, it’s becoming more and more obvious: Female Menopause does not just impact the individual woman going through the process. If not handled properly, Menopause can tear marriages and long-standing relationships apart, destroy families- and cast adrift hearts, minds and spirits.
It’s a totally natural occurrence in a woman’s life- but it can also be a minefield.
It also can – and often does- impact the working world as well. Careers careen off track, productivity suffers and/or declines, working relationships become strained and sick days often skyrocket during this time of transition.
How does this happen? And why is the process of Menopause still a ‘secret shame’ for working women to endure privately?
Given the many and varied symptoms of Menopause: depression, irritability, insomnia, weight gain, migraine, loss of libido, anxiety and panic attacks, hot flashes – to name but a few – one can see how difficult it would be to navigate around them.
It’s taken generations for women to successfully drag Menopause out of the shadows and into the light where it can be discussed openly, and dealt with successfully. Yet in the areas of career and business, most Menopause-age women still choose to suffer in silence, until the dreaded day comes when their symptoms can no longer be hidden from coworkers, bosses or clients.
Is Menopause wrecking your career?
Do you know someone who is going through Menopause and suffering productivity issues as she struggles through the physical, emotional and professional tumult?
If so, you’re not alone…
It’s now estimated there are well over 17 million women ages 45-54, employed in the US workforce alone. Working females in this age range comprise almost half the working sector.
Relatively recent studies also reveal that approximately 74% of working women interviewed, reported that their Menopause symptoms definitely interfered with their ability to carry out workplace duties. Of this number, half also reported that the Menopause process was more difficult than they’d anticipated.
Sadly these issues not being discussed openly, women are suffering in silence, and their employers seem to be turning a blind eye to the situation.
Why are we not working to identify and determine ways in which the workplace can become more supportive of female workers and executives going through the Menopause process – and in so doing, strategically enhance productivity during this time?
It seems only common sense – but still this topic is not being addressed. If anything, the number of working women going through the Menopause process is growing exponentially – worldwide.
And while yes, it’s perfectly natural and normal, it’s more times than not, still totally misunderstood, misrepresented and ill prepared for. This must be changed.
The simple fact is the process of Peri menopause and Menopause can take up to two full decades of a woman’s life (usually starting around age 35 and advancing into the early 50s), and it sometimes begins at an earlier age now – for a variety of reasons – increasing the likelihood that as the process advances, a company’s bottom line will indeed be impacted.
Yes, this is indeed an intimate topic, and an intimate journey for a woman to make. Given that stress serves to make the process more volatile, the Corporate environment can’t help but be impacted and impactful: office stress, job stress, the stress of corporate travel and ladder climbing only add gasoline to an already smoldering fire.
Remember: Not all women suffer during Menopause – and not all women feel these stressors equally – but for those who do, this verboten topic is proving to be a handicap…and it needn’t be that way.
Kris and I know how important it is to support Women in the marketplace as they transition through this natural – and exciting – time of life. Together we coach Midlife women – and men who care about them personally or professionally – through the often rough and rocky terrain that IS Midlife.
If you have women 40 – 55 years-old on your staff and want to do a better job supporting them through their peri-Menopause and Menopause transition, please consider investing in their future through the following resources….the more you educate yourself, the more likely you’ll maintain a thriving workforce with women of any age!
Menopause Resources from Carrie & Kris:
- Corporate Wellness Workshop: Learn more about how get your staff involved in a virtual group program designed to educate women about how to effectively transition through Menopause in both their professional and personal life.
- Educational & Card Deck Products: These are great gift ideas for your female staff:
- “Making Peace with Menopause” book and Workbook/Diary – Carrie and Kris have just released their Updated & Revised 2017 version
- Staying on Top of Your Game at Work Card Deck
- Midlife Health and Beauty Card Deck
- Your Midlife Check-In Card Deck
- Midlife Couple’s Care Card Deck
About Carrie E. Pierce:
Carrie Pierce has worked exclusively in the skin care, health and beauty industries for over 25 years. A licensed Aesthetician, Film and TV Makeup Artist and Certified Color Analyst, Carrie has built a solid international reputation in the field of holistic beauty and skin care.
She’s a recognized public speaker and radio show host, prolific Health and Beauty writer, and is Founder and President of MidlifeMystique.com. Carrie believes Menopause really can be a time of ‘Change for the Better’ and it’s her mission and her passion to help Midlife women – and men – feel and look their very best!
If you’d like to contact Carrie, email her at Carrie@MidlifeMystique .com or go to www.MidlifeMystique.com.
Photo from FreeDigitalPhotos.net by StockImages