Definitely menopause, maybe?
By Anna Radley, Head of Learning and Performance and Vanessa Roots, Senior Workforce Policy Officer, University of Greenwich
16 January 2025
As we walked along Euston Road on a cold and wet November morning, we had a few nerves about what lay ahead. We were on our way to the UCEA Communications Conference 2024 to talk to people we’d never met. About the menopause. Not long ago nobody even mentioned the word, let alone did a presentation on it!
We’re both on our own personal ‘menopause journey’ so we talk about this stuff all the time, to each other and to our University of Greenwich colleagues. But a room full of sector strangers?
Well, the strangers turned out to be extremely warm and welcoming. With nerves quickly dissolved, we shared our story.
So why and how did we get here?
You could say it was a meeting of minds. The University of Greenwich’s work on raising awareness about the menopause has employee voice at its heart and began because of the lived experience of one employee. This connects with UCEA’s work for the sector on Employee Experience and Employee Value Proposition, so the conference was perfect timing for the two to come together.
Menopause: it’s more than hot flushes
The UK’s attitude towards menopause has changed somewhat. Not so long ago, menopause was a taboo and even laden with a sense of doom. It wasn’t talked about openly and certainly not with any confidence. Knowledge was scarce.
Every woman will go through the menopause and trans men and non-binary people may also experience it. It is the stage in a woman’s life when menstruation stops, following 12 months without a period. This happens because the biological change in a woman’s body causes hormone levels to drop dramatically. This may cause a significant number of physical and psychological symptoms, including hot flushes, sweats, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, low mood, poor sleep and migraines. There are over 30 recognised symptoms, but realistically, it is closer to 100.
Menopause typically happens between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age being 51 in the UK. The time leading up to it is known as perimenopause, which can last for several years and therefore the symptoms can have a significant ongoing impact on all aspects of life. 3 in 4 women will have symptoms and every person’s experience is different, and for some it is debilitating.
One in ten women will leave work due to their menopause symptoms (Fawcett Society research, 2022) Our colleague Maureen almost became one of those statistics.
What’s the story?
In 2021 our University's 2030 strategy was launched, with inclusivity as a core value. Simultaneously, Maureen chose to speak out about her debilitating menopause symptoms and how it was affecting her at work. The significance of these parallel events soon became apparent.
During our presentation, we shared Maureen’s story. An intimate and powerful portrayal of the impact the symptoms had on her. The taboo around menopause meant Maureen felt isolated and thought she could no longer do the job she loved.
Changing culture: the unconventional way
Maureen took the bold step of inviting her colleagues to an online ‘menopause café’ and shared her story. Maureen’s openness and honesty was compelling, not least because her lived experience resonated so strongly and gave so many colleagues a voice. This step was transformational as it started the conversation at the University.
In the autumn of 2021, we formed a menopause team (alongside our regular jobs!) and the University partnered with ‘Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace’. We launched our Menopause Guidance and designed a web page. We were trained to deliver in-house awareness training and we set up engagement platforms, including regular informal ‘menopause cafés’ and a Teams hub. In 2023, we trained 25 volunteer Menopause Champions to provide localised support across all campuses.
Guest speakers joined, eager to contribute and support the University’s journey. The team were invited to speak at external conferences and contributed to a case study for the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s menopause guidance. Even Sky News wanted to know what we were doing!
Initially, we took a grass roots approach to this campaign, with no formal business approach or comms plan. But whilst it started in this unconventional way, menopause now very much forms part of the University’s EDI calendar. This includes University Mental Health Week, International Women’s Day and World Menopause Day, as well as termly training and cafes in between.
Where are we now?
Menopause is no longer a taboo as we know that there are now open conversations between colleagues, staff and managers and with full support from the University’s Vice-Chancellor and leadership team. This raising awareness has also encouraged colleagues to speak to friends, family and loved ones about their own struggles and crucially their GP.
The cherry on the cake has been receiving accreditation from Henpicked as a ‘menopause friendly employer’. Whilst it was never our primary aim to become accredited, we value the external recognition this has brought the University and more importantly raising the profile of such an important matter.
We embarked on this work with a passion for helping others to navigate this stage of life. Our aim was to embed support for colleagues going through menopause at work and prevent anyone from leaving their job because of it.
She’s electric!
If it wasn’t for Maureen, we wouldn’t be presenting to an audience about the importance of menopause. Our audience listened, and you could hear a pin drop when Anna told Maureen’s story. It was a pleasure to interact with university and sector colleagues who were engaged and interested in what we had to say.
In September 2023 Maureen received a well-deserved award at the Henpicked Employer Menopause awards for her dedication to raising awareness. In our eyes and the eyes of many at the University, she is simply a legend.
What’s with the title?
Some of you may have noticed this blog’s nod to a well-known debut album from the 90’s by a well-known band! The album ‘Definitely Maybe’ by Oasis was released 30 years ago. So, what’s the link? Well, it highlights a relatively recent time when there was a question mark around menopause; it was a mystery to many, and certainly a taboo. Thankfully we are now more informed with better access to information than ever before, so...
It’s definitely menopause, not maybe.
UCEA Members can read the full case study Menopause Policy Revisited by University of Greenwich.
16 January 2025
As we walked along Euston Road on a cold and wet November morning, we had a few nerves about what lay ahead. We were on our way to the UCEA Communications Conference 2024 to talk to people we’d never met. About the menopause. Not long ago nobody even mentioned the word, let alone did a presentation on it!
We’re both on our own personal ‘menopause journey’ so we talk about this stuff all the time, to each other and to our University of Greenwich colleagues. But a room full of sector strangers?
Well, the strangers turned out to be extremely warm and welcoming. With nerves quickly dissolved, we shared our story.
So why and how did we get here?
You could say it was a meeting of minds. The University of Greenwich’s work on raising awareness about the menopause has employee voice at its heart and began because of the lived experience of one employee. This connects with UCEA’s work for the sector on Employee Experience and Employee Value Proposition, so the conference was perfect timing for the two to come together.
Menopause: it’s more than hot flushes
The UK’s attitude towards menopause has changed somewhat. Not so long ago, menopause was a taboo and even laden with a sense of doom. It wasn’t talked about openly and certainly not with any confidence. Knowledge was scarce.
Every woman will go through the menopause and trans men and non-binary people may also experience it. It is the stage in a woman’s life when menstruation stops, following 12 months without a period. This happens because the biological change in a woman’s body causes hormone levels to drop dramatically. This may cause a significant number of physical and psychological symptoms, including hot flushes, sweats, anxiety, brain fog, fatigue, low mood, poor sleep and migraines. There are over 30 recognised symptoms, but realistically, it is closer to 100.
Menopause typically happens between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age being 51 in the UK. The time leading up to it is known as perimenopause, which can last for several years and therefore the symptoms can have a significant ongoing impact on all aspects of life. 3 in 4 women will have symptoms and every person’s experience is different, and for some it is debilitating.
One in ten women will leave work due to their menopause symptoms (Fawcett Society research, 2022) Our colleague Maureen almost became one of those statistics.
What’s the story?
In 2021 our University's 2030 strategy was launched, with inclusivity as a core value. Simultaneously, Maureen chose to speak out about her debilitating menopause symptoms and how it was affecting her at work. The significance of these parallel events soon became apparent.
During our presentation, we shared Maureen’s story. An intimate and powerful portrayal of the impact the symptoms had on her. The taboo around menopause meant Maureen felt isolated and thought she could no longer do the job she loved.
Changing culture: the unconventional way
Maureen took the bold step of inviting her colleagues to an online ‘menopause café’ and shared her story. Maureen’s openness and honesty was compelling, not least because her lived experience resonated so strongly and gave so many colleagues a voice. This step was transformational as it started the conversation at the University.
In the autumn of 2021, we formed a menopause team (alongside our regular jobs!) and the University partnered with ‘Henpicked: Menopause in the Workplace’. We launched our Menopause Guidance and designed a web page. We were trained to deliver in-house awareness training and we set up engagement platforms, including regular informal ‘menopause cafés’ and a Teams hub. In 2023, we trained 25 volunteer Menopause Champions to provide localised support across all campuses.
Guest speakers joined, eager to contribute and support the University’s journey. The team were invited to speak at external conferences and contributed to a case study for the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s menopause guidance. Even Sky News wanted to know what we were doing!
Initially, we took a grass roots approach to this campaign, with no formal business approach or comms plan. But whilst it started in this unconventional way, menopause now very much forms part of the University’s EDI calendar. This includes University Mental Health Week, International Women’s Day and World Menopause Day, as well as termly training and cafes in between.
Where are we now?
Menopause is no longer a taboo as we know that there are now open conversations between colleagues, staff and managers and with full support from the University’s Vice-Chancellor and leadership team. This raising awareness has also encouraged colleagues to speak to friends, family and loved ones about their own struggles and crucially their GP.
The cherry on the cake has been receiving accreditation from Henpicked as a ‘menopause friendly employer’. Whilst it was never our primary aim to become accredited, we value the external recognition this has brought the University and more importantly raising the profile of such an important matter.
We embarked on this work with a passion for helping others to navigate this stage of life. Our aim was to embed support for colleagues going through menopause at work and prevent anyone from leaving their job because of it.
She’s electric!
If it wasn’t for Maureen, we wouldn’t be presenting to an audience about the importance of menopause. Our audience listened, and you could hear a pin drop when Anna told Maureen’s story. It was a pleasure to interact with university and sector colleagues who were engaged and interested in what we had to say.
In September 2023 Maureen received a well-deserved award at the Henpicked Employer Menopause awards for her dedication to raising awareness. In our eyes and the eyes of many at the University, she is simply a legend.
What’s with the title?
Some of you may have noticed this blog’s nod to a well-known debut album from the 90’s by a well-known band! The album ‘Definitely Maybe’ by Oasis was released 30 years ago. So, what’s the link? Well, it highlights a relatively recent time when there was a question mark around menopause; it was a mystery to many, and certainly a taboo. Thankfully we are now more informed with better access to information than ever before, so...
It’s definitely menopause, not maybe.
UCEA Members can read the full case study Menopause Policy Revisited by University of Greenwich.
