New university research has found that menopause remains a hidden and taboo subject in the workplace.
The study, 'Menopause in the Workplace', is based on surveys of public sector workers and was carried out by academics in University of Galway and University College Cork.
The findings have been released to mark World Menopause Day today.
The research was carried out to explore women's experiences of menopause at work; the attitudes of other workers who are not experiencing menopause; the impact of menopause on work outcomes for women; and to identify interventions to support women.
Almost 1,000 people, including 835 women and 151 men, from five public sector organisations in Ireland completed the on-line survey.
It found that 68% of respondents stated that menopause was not spoken about in their workplace, while 8% said it was a 'taboo' subject.
Three quarters of respondents did not know if their company had a menopause policy, while 29% of line managers, whose staff have spoken to them about menopause, did not feel equipped to discuss it and offer support.
62% of menopausal employees have discussed their menopause with their co-workers, but only one in two have spoken to their manager about it.
Almost two-thirds of menopausal respondents said they did not intend to apply for promotion, with the research showing that menopausal employees are less likely to apply, compared with pre-menopausal employees.
"Despite high rates of women in employment, and Government focus on keeping people in work for longer, menopause remains a taboo subject in many organisations and a significant barrier to employee wellbeing and productivity," said Dr Maeve O'Sullivan, College of Business Public Policy & Law at University of Galway.
"Our study's findings demonstrate the urgent need to tackle this taboo and better equip organisations and managers to facilitate greater job satisfaction and wellbeing among female employees," Dr O'Sullivan said.
The report makes a series of recommendations including training and education programmes for managers and employees, as well as greater flexibility for female workers going through menopausal transition.
"Despite menopause now being openly discussed in today's society, there is very little focus on its impact on work and vice versa," said Dr Elaine O'Brien, University College Cork.
"Our study finds that while some female employees discuss menopause with colleagues, only 12% do so with their managers," Dr O'Brien said.
