I first became aware of the challenges of dealing with menopause in the workplace when I met Karen. She taught the new entrant class and was loved by kids and adults alike for her sense of humour and dedication to teaching. She was variously described as ‘hard case’ and a ‘bit of a dag’ and she dealt with her menopause with humanity and humour. As she battled her hot flushes, she would walk into the staffroom, open the freezer door and theatrically put her face inside.
Although I consider myself to be open minded and well educated, it was only through friendships with older women that I began to learn about the realities of menopause and how they can be managed. Most often the discussions utilised humour as a vehicle for discussing a difficult or even traumatic topic. Fast forward 15 years and I have navigated both peri-menopause and menopause whilst working as a school leader. Even in these more enlightened times – despite always working in environments with a majority of female employees – I have never worked in an environment where menopause was discussed seriously as a workplace wellbeing issue.
I imagine a few readers may have been taken aback at the title of this article and some may not have read any further! So if you are still here, ‘Ka pai, ka haere tonu!’. Using humour as a way to manage menopause is normal in New Zealand. I imagine the same can be said of some health concerns faced by men such as prostate issues or testicular cancer, the difference being that menopause is a stage of life experienced by every female rather than an illness or a disease battled by a few.
I asked Chat GPT, ‘If male teachers went through menopause in New Zealand, how would the workplace be different?’ The answer was:
In essence, New Zealand schools would likely create more inclusive, supportive environments for male teachers, fostering an atmosphere where health and wellbeing – including hormonal health – are prioritized for all staff, regardless of gender. Here’s how:
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Menopause leave: Just like sick or personal leave, male teachers could access menopause–specific leave to manage symptoms like fatigue or mood swings, without fear of being penalized or stigmatized.
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Flexible teaching hours: Schools might offer adjusted timetables for male teachers going through menopause, allowing them to manage their energy levels, particularly during periods of low focus or irritability.
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Classroom environment changes: Teachers could request more comfortable classroom environments, such as better ventilation, access to fans, or quieter spaces for moments of rest during the day to cope with hot flashes and exhaustion.
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Supportive staff meetings: Just as with mental health or parental leave, regular check-ins during staff meetings could help address menopause-related concerns, with school leaders trained to be sensitive to teachers’ hormonal health and needs.
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Professional development on menopause: Schools might introduce training for staff on how to support colleagues
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going through menopause, creating a more compassionate and understanding environment.
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Increased focus on wellbeing: School wellness programs could include hormonal health support, offering access to therapy, nutrition advice, and stress management techniques, with specific workshops for male teachers.
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Empathetic leadership: School principals and managers could foster a culture of empathy, ensuring that performance evaluations account for the fact that male teachers may be experiencing physical and emotional changes due to menopause.
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Workplace advocacy and legal protections: Teachers’ unions could advocate for additional menopause-specific rights, ensuring that male teachers are not disadvantaged in promotions because of their hormonal transition.
So what practical things can we do to support menopausal staff in our schools?
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Educate ourselves and our teams to ensure we understand the symptoms of menopause.
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Offer mental health support. These 2023 statistics from the UK indicate that 34 per cent of women who had experienced menopause while working reported experiencing depression and anxiety. Having a support programme such as EAP or Givenwell for mental health support and ensuring employees know they can use it can build resilience factors during this time.
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Offer Flexible Working Arrangements even when it makes managing staffing more challenging. Menopause often comes at a time when women are also supporting teenagers or looking after ageing parents. Offering the chance to step down from a leadership responsibility temporarily, creating a job share or working part time can be a way to keep valued, experienced staff in the profession. The NZSTA site has resources to support this process.
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Normalise the word menopause in staffroom conversation (resisting the urge to make it a joke!) Talking about menopause in PLD, discussions about wellbeing etc. makes it safer for women to talk about their challenges. In a recent workshop for Kaiāwhina | Teacher Aides, I talked about times they might need to ask for support and casually mentioned menopause was one of these.
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Talk about menopause as a leadership team. Look out for women struggling with their menopause and get someone to check in with them. Normalise a conversation about menopause as part of professional growth cycles. Include discussion about menopause in staff wellbeing sessions to support men and younger female staff to understand the challenges and show empathy.
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Create a quiet space. When we redeveloped our staffroom, staff asked for a quiet space where they could go to breathe, cry(!) and regulate during the day. We set up a small space that is both calm and beautiful.
Journalist Nikki Bezzant talked about menopause in professional settings in a broadcast for The House of Wellness, she acknowledges that
If you’re in a workplace with a lot of younger people, it can feel really uncomfortable to talk about what’s going on for you . . . It’s not something that’s gonna be going on forever. And it’s really important for women to be supported through it . . . so that we can thrive for the rest of our life.
The women going through menopause in our staffroom are likely to be some of our most experienced staff, our mentors and role models for younger kaiako. The way we support them through this stage of life will impact the overall wellbeing of our staff culture – so let’s give it some thought!