Are Canadian insurance professionals ready to talk about the menopause?

Are Canadian insurance professionals ready to talk about the menopause? | Insurance Business Canada

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Are Canadian insurance professionals ready to talk about the menopause?

And why this headline shouldn’t make you uncomfortable

Are Canadian insurance professionals ready to talk about the menopause? Perhaps that question makes you feel uncomfortable, but it’s one that needs to be addressed.

The sad truth is that the menopause and perimenopause remain taboo topics for many. A lack of support and stigma have the power to exacerbate anxieties on top of symptoms, and businesses that don’t address this could see top female talent heading to pastures new. Having made strides on gender parity that need to continue, the industry would be remiss to not tackle this.

Daring to talk about the menopause

Dare to talk about the menopause in a workplace setting and who knows what type of response you might encounter. While some colleagues will be understanding, sympathetic, or able to share their own experiences, others might feel embarrassed or take offense.

But research shows that these negative perceptions need to change, and stakeholders claim that there is a business case behind supporting women through menopause rather than brushing the issue under the carpet.

“We continue to see a lack of understanding about menopausal symptoms, symptom relief and care options, as well as lack of support for women that are going through that phase of their life in the workplace,” Tara Anstey, Medavie Blue Cross director of business development, client value, told Insurance Business in March, as she warned of a women’s benefits and health understanding gap that could not only be hurting organisations’ DE&I goals but also driving away top talent.

With women in senior leadership positions reportedly leaving companies at the highest rate ever seen, and more so than their male counterparts, the timing for a reset on how we think about menopause in the workplace could hardly be more critical.

Who does the menopause affect in Canada?

According to the MFC:

More than five million women in Canada will be experiencing the menopause by 2025, according to the Menopause Foundation of Canada (MFC). That’s about 13% of the current population, or a quarter of the 19 million-strong labour force.
While most women reach menopause between 45 and 55, one in 100 will experience it before the age of 40, and one in 1,000 before the age of 30.
Not everyone is the same, and symptoms (of which the MFC claims there are more than 30) can range from hot flashes to headaches and migraines, to mental health issues including anxiety.

More workplace provisions wanted for those experiencing the menopause

In the UK, insurance industry players – including RSA, Crawford and broking group Partners& – have rushed to put menopause policies in place and support staff.

A global IGI survey for last year’s Dive In found that respondents overwhelmingly wanted more provisions in insurance workplaces to support those experiencing the menopause or perimenopause; as per the MFC’s findings 87% of Canadian women wanted more support through all stages of life, including menopause. When we published our report on the IGI findings, one Canadian reader wrote in to share concerns that bringing the menopause into the executive and board talent pipeline debate could be “sexist” and drive unwanted outcomes.

With the industry having made so much progress in terms of female senior representation but with still more to go, you can’t blame people for fearing that getting to grips with what is a temporary but transformative reality for many women’s bodies could pose a setback. But not talking about the menopause, and not showing a willingness to accommodate women experiencing it, could be having an even more detrimental effect on the workforce. Particularly when, despite steps towards gender parity, men continue to fill the bulk of executive roles.

Studies show impact of menopause on women at work

Studies on the menopause have found it had a significant negative impact on workers who were going through, or had been through, it:

Nearly one in five UK women thought the menopause had a negative impact on their managers’ and colleagues’ perceptions of their competence at work
For every 10 UK women experiencing menopausal symptoms, six (59%) said it had a negative impact on their work; three in 10 (30%) said they had been unable to go into work because of their symptoms, but only a quarter of them felt able to tell their manager the real reason for their absence.
Three in 10 Canadian working women surveyed by the MFC said they feared others may see them as “weak, old, or past their prime”
Forty six per cent (46%) of Canadian women experiencing perimenopause or menopause feel “unprepared” for this stage of life, according to the MFC.

The menopause in the workplace – physical symptoms aren’t the only barrier

It’s not just physical symptoms that may be making working life more difficult for those experiencing the menopause. US, UK, and Australian research has found that women may not tell employers about symptoms due to “embarrassment” or fears that senior male staff may use these admissions as fuel to “keep women in their place”.

Three quarters (74%) of women surveyed by the MFC said they felt their employer was not supportive in helping them cope with their symptoms, else they were unaware of any support.

Talking about the menopause, and supporting staff through it, would not be an acceptance that women are inherently weaker. Nor would it be giving women a ‘free pass’, which many surely would not want.

What it would do is open up the floor, equip leaders with the understanding and knowledge they need, and encourage people undergoing what can be an uncomfortable time to seek support and assistance when needed and not feel like they have to go it alone. It’s also an opportunity for those women who do see benefits in the change – from enhanced focus on other areas of life to increased confidence – to enjoy and share these with pride and raise others up. That can only be a good thing.

How can employers support colleagues going through the menopause?

Suggestions for supporting women who are experiencing the menopause at work could include:

Access to tools, such as counselling services
Training for management members
Offering specific benefits
Allyship
Flexible working arrangements
Physical considerations such as the provision of fans

With Canada’s insurance and financial services industry leading the charge on gender parity, as per the Canadian Prosperity Project’s 2023 The Zero Report, the sector has the opportunity to be a frontrunner on addressing this. And with a swelling proportion of women in executive, board, and senior positions, this is becoming more vital.

Given that women made up 62.4% of the insurance industry’s workforce as of 2017, according to Insurance Institute of Canada figures, and amid a talent crunch, the even bigger question for leaders might be: can the insurance industry afford not to talk about the menopause?

Does your insurance employer offer menopause support? Have you gone through the menopause or perimenopause in the insurance workplace? Share your experiences in the comments below.

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