October Is Menopause Awareness Month

October is Menopause Awareness Month, making it a good time to inform ourselves about a stage of life which can have a big impact on women in the workplace. From an employer's perspective, it's important to consider how we can help to make the workplace more comfortable for menopausal women whilst simultaneously minimising the risk of subsequent employment tribunal claims.

What is the menopause and who does it affect?

There are three different stages to the menopause:

• Perimenopause
• Menopause
• Post menopause.

The symptoms of menopause can be severe and adversely affect both women's home and work life. It's important for employers to be mindful of the effects of menopause which usually happens to women between 45 and 55 years of age. However, it can begin much earlier.