Sue’s story
Recent research shows that one in 10 women had left work because of menopause.
When you look at the reasons why, it’s often because they weren’t aware what was happening, they didn’t know where to get the right support and they didn’t feel comfortable disclosing what was happening.
Sharing stories can be really powerful...
Sue is very senior in an engineering company.
She loves her job and has built a strong reputation for being organised and knowing everything about the huge projects she manages. As a valued member of the team, she was on track for further career development.
However, for her, the psychological symptoms of menopause hit hard. She found it hard to recall information and struggled with brain fog and lack of concentration.
She and her line manager often caught up over a coffee or had a quick conversation in the corridor sharing lots of pieces of information she needed to go over and action. Previously, this had been no problem.
Sue found she was getting back to her desk and either completely forgetting key facts, or having to ask lots of questions as she couldn’t quite remember.
This really knocked her confidence in her ability to do a good job.
It got so bad that she thought she needed to leave before she damaged her reputation too much. Sue hadn’t told her line manager what was happening and wasn’t sure how – she’d never heard anyone even mention the word menopause at work.
After talking with family and friends, she decided she had nothing to lose if she was thinking of leaving and planned how to approach the conversation.
Sue spoke with her manager and was delighted by their response.
They then asked the most powerful question…
“What can I do to help?”
For Sue and her manager, it was a small change in working habits.
This included following things up by email and ensuring they were at her desk when discussing actions.
She described that it felt like having a safety net, someone who understood her symptoms and what she needed to continue to do a great job.
Sue is still thriving in her role, but the company could have lost experienced talent, and she could have left a job she loved just because they didn’t have a conversation about menopause.
