Menopause: NI employers could be on the 'wrong side of the law'

Northern Ireland's employers could end up on the "wrong side of the law" unless they make strides to facilitate women going through the menopause.

That is according to the Equality Commission's chief commissioner.

With women making up nearly half of the working population, there is pressure for better awareness and for workplaces to support those experiencing symptoms.

The commission's Geraldine McGahey said that "many employers are doing really well - others are not".

"I think every employer should be walking away thinking I need to check my practices and procedures, I need to check what the needs are of my female employees, both now and in the future," she told BBC News NI.

The issue has reached parliament, where Westminster's women and equalities committee has begun an inquiry into the consequences of menopause in the workplace.

It is estimated 900,000 women in the UK have left jobs as a result of menopausal symptoms.

The Equality Commission said positive strides are being made.

Even with the pandemic, some employers have been making changes including the local health trusts.

Belfast City Council is currently finalising a menopause policy developed through its women's steering group.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which has offices in Belfast, has implemented a number of changes, including changing insurance arrangements so women can access cover for menopause.

Facilitating working from home and training career coaches about the issue is also on offer.

PwC partner Lynne Rainey said it makes good business sense.

"It is a business-critical issue for us. Women over 40 are the fastest growing demographic in the workforce.

"They bring a huge amount of experience and expertise and, as a business, which is clearly a space of diversity and inclusion, we need a workforce that remains inclusive and diverse and we want to retain that talent.

"We also want to attract to us as well."

For those going through the menopause, such as Linzi Conway, a 51-year-old self-employed management consultant, the symptoms can be "debilitating, especially the impact of insomnia".

"As I have no one to pass the work on to, I sometimes muddle through and that lack of support is a challenge," she said.

Linzi, who works from home, said a result for her would be being able to explain to a client that she is unable to work on a particular day due to menopause symptoms - but "we aren't quite there yet", she added.

"It's absolutely not an excuse, these are real symptoms, especially the tiredness, the pains and the brain fog - they all affect our ability to do a day's work.

"I think one of the benefits of the pandemic is forcing us to remodel and look at our work place differently and allowing that flexibility of working life, and that is going to help a lot of people whether it is menopause, mental health or anything else."

Earlier this year, the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions' NI committee and the Labour Relations Agency produced new guidance to address equality issues in relation to women affected by the menopause in employment.

It provides good practice examples and suggested tools for both employers and employees.

Geraldine McGahey said the tools can be as simple as good ventilation, a fan on the desk, change in uniform or just providing a culture where people feel comfortable talking about it.

"We are finding a really positive interest in the subject," she said.

"Our first conference had 121 delegates and that is organisations not people.

"We are running more events and have had over 500 downloads of our guidance notes."