More books about menopause are being published, more podcasts are being made, more stories about women’s experiences are featuring in the media, and a growing number of advocates are speaking up about the lack of awareness, understanding and support. Especially at work.

As menopause is better understood, increasing numbers of employers are getting on board to provide education and support for those of their staff impacted, both directly and indirectly.

Wellington-based writer, advocate and speaker Sarah Connor is on a mission to help others understand menopause. After perimenopause impacted her health and well-being, at home and at work, for several months, she started talking about menopause in homes, workplaces and communities across New Zealand.

Amanda Harkness asked her why it’s important for architecture practices to be educated about menopause and what practice owners and managers can do to support people through this normal, and often challenging, stage of life.

Amanda Harkness (AH): Firstly, what’s the difference between perimenopause and menopause? And when is someone considered post-menopause?

Sarah Connor (SC): Perimenopause is the time when someone experiences hormonal changes (symptoms) before reaching menopause. The ovaries start running out of eggs and levels of oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone fluctuate from moment to moment and day to day.

Menopause is the day – a single day - when someone hasn’t had a period for at least 12 months. From that day onwards, when the ovaries no longer release any eggs, someone is post-menopause, even if some of their symptoms continue.

AH: What kinds of changes can someone expect to experience – at what age and over what period of time?

SC: Every woman will go through menopause. Some non-binary and trans men will experience menopausal symptoms, too. And everyone will experience it differently, just as people experience menstruation or pregnancy differently. Fluctuating hormones through menopause can affect people cognitively, physically and emotionally; over a period of one to 10 years (five to seven on average).

The range of 40+ potential symptoms is vast and includes hot flushes, night sweats, heart palpitations, irregular, lighter or heavier periods (flooding), anxiety, low mood/depression, decreased libido, brain fog, dry eyes, mood swings, nausea, disturbed sleep/insomnia, aching joints and fatigue.

The average age of menopause is 51. Most people start to notice symptoms in their 40s but, for some people, the changes kick in earlier. Premature menopause is when someone’s periods stop before the age of 40. People can experience ‘surgical menopause’ after having both ovaries removed or cancer treatment.

AH: Why is it important to raise awareness and support women and people going through menopause at work? What are the commercial implications?

SC: Raising awareness helps women understand the changes they’re experiencing and means they can get the support they need – from their GP, friends, family or workplace. Talking about it proactively supports health, safety and wellbeing at work and fosters diversity and inclusion. Being open about someone’s experience can also ease people’s symptoms.

Identifying and making appropriating changes in a workplace can allow someone to perform at their best; develop their full potential. Accommodating someone’s temporary needs will make it easier to attract experienced talent. It can also reduce the cost of recruitment and onboarding if more women stay in practice rather than leave because of a lack of flexibility and support.

AH: What information should be provided to women, managers and colleagues to make everyone feel safe and comfortable talking about menopause if it impacts them, directly or indirectly? How can a practice support someone through menopause?

SC: The first step is to raise awareness. Share basic information about how it can impact someone’s health and wellbeing. Ensure that women know who they can talk to and get support from, inside or outside the practice, if needed.

It’s useful to share resources – websites, books, apps, links to articles and documentaries etc for people to access on your intranet.

Consider physical spaces – can people work in a quiet, private space with access to fresh air or the right temperature? Adjust expectations around deadlines and be flexible if someone needs to work from home after too many nights without solid sleep.

The more that everyone understands menopause, the less likely that someone impacted will feel ashamed, fearful or embarrassed about asking for support.

AH: Where can practice owners and managers find information to help them understand the needs of people going through menopause?

SC: There are many useful resources available for workplaces online, mostly from the UK, which is further ahead with campaigns to bring about the changes we need to see. For now, I’ve included a range of open-source menopause policies, toolkits and guidelines for employers and managers on my website www.sarahconnor.co.nz. These can easily be adapted to suit different workplaces.

Studio Pacific Architecture: Normalising the conversation

Connor has facilitated conversations about menopause with staff at several businesses and organisations, including Air New Zealand, Sharesies, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and Kainga Ora. Studio Pacific Architecture is the first architecture practice she has talked to and she hopes others will follow their lead.

We asked Studio Pacific Architecture’s managing director Evžen Novak and people and practice manager Paula MacDonald what led to them starting a conversation about menopause and the impact on their practice so far.

Amanda Harkness: What gave you the idea to host an event about menopause at SPA?

Evžen Novak (EN): I read about Sarah’s awareness-raising mahi in Kia Ora magazine around World Menopause Day last year. I thought about how many people could be impacted directly and indirectly – colleagues at work; partners and families at home – and this seemed likely to be a large cross-section of our studios. To help us start the conversation, we invited Sarah to speak at a CPD session ahead of International Women’s Day 2023.

AH: Why did you decide to hold a conversation about menopause with staff as a first step?

EN: The conversation with Sarah was an informal, relaxed and interesting way to learn about a topic that many people might not have known much about or might not have felt comfortable talking about at work, until now.

AH: What was the format? And how eager were people to attend and engage?

Paula MacDonald (PM): We hosted Sarah in our Wellington studio. Our staff working-from-home and Auckland studio joined us via Teams for one hour. There was standing room only on our mezzanine floor, with staff of all ages and genders filling the room and screen. The first half of the CPD session was in conversation with Sarah. She shared some useful facts, the changes people can expect, her personal experience, potential solutions, tips and resources for colleagues and managers. We touched briefly on andropause too (the impact on men of a slow decline in testosterone from mid-life). In the second half of the session, people asked questions and shared their thoughts. It was an easy conversation, finishing with a couple of people winning topic-related spot prizes.

AH: How do you think that acknowledging menopause at work and offering support to those who need it will impact your people and practice?

PM: Creating a diverse and inclusive culture is really important to us. This event is one of many diversity initiatives to help create a comfortable work environment for everyone. Since the CPD event, we’ve added some useful resources about menopause to our intranet for people to explore - books, websites, articles, podcasts, menopause toolkits and guidelines. I’ve been pleased to see the engagement in the studio. Hearing people talking about their own experiences with friends and whānau; hearing the great feedback coming from a much better understanding of how to offer support is really positive.

Sarah Connor is a freelance writer, guest speaker, advocate, and founder of the grassroots project Menopause Over Martinis. Based on her personal experience, research and knowledge, she facilitates conversations about menopause in workplaces across Aotearoa - www.sarahconnor.co.nz