Menopause and reasonable adjustments... What's the big deal?

Recent coverage, that employers must make reasonable adjustments for women who are experiencing menopausal symptoms, has raised some interesting responses from both sides of this debate.  On the one hand, some employers don’t consider the menopause to be their problem and are put out that they should have to make adjustments.  On the other hand, some menopause coaches are frustrated at the suggestion that a natural biological occurrence should be considered a ‘disability’.

Both views, in my view, miss the point; no-one is suggesting that when a woman hits the menopause she is suddenly ‘disabled’.  That would be daft.  Equally, an employer who thinks that menopause is not their problem either does not have a very diverse workforce or has a workplace culture which needs a little attention.  Either way, menopause, and how it can affect women in the workplace, is something which we all need to get our collective heads around quickly.

It is likely that the Jersey Tribunal would confirm that long-term menopausal symptoms which impact a woman’s (or trans man’s) ability to carry out their role fall within the definition of ‘disability' for employment purposes.  

Despite the label, this is a ‘good thing’ for women.  The obvious benefit to women is that those who suddenly find themselves struggling in a role which they could previously do with their eyes shut, should receive support from their employer.  

But how about the impact on the employer?  Is this really ‘yet another’ attack on the employer’s bottom line, another example of employers footing the bill instead of the state?  

I’d say not - and I would argue that supporting menopausal women and making reasonable adjustments to enable them to continue to perform well makes economic sense for employers. Factor in the hidden costs of not supporting those employees.  Aside from the obvious tribunal risk, inflexible employers will have to deal with:

• the cost, disruption and management of women being signed off on long-term sick leave;
• the loss to the business of years of accumulated knowledge and experience;
• the expense of recruiting replacement employees;
• the management hours required to support and train new recruits. 

Managers frequently overlook these hidden costs.  They tend to assume that a ‘reasonable adjustment’ is bound to be ‘unreasonable’ and too expensive and they close their minds to change.

Ironically, in most cases, the cost of making a ‘reasonable adjustment’ is negligible; a desk by a window or an electric fan, the relaxation of a uniform policy or the tweaking of core working hours. 

The training of managers is the key to addressing this growing risk for employers.  And yet ultimately, it all comes down to this simple question: How would you expect someone to treat your wife or your daughter?  If your own management of the women in your team falls below that family threshold, you are probably getting it wrong. It is that simple.