By Catherine O’Keeffe, Menopause Coach and Wellness Warrior

I'm often asked what are the main symptoms of menopause that impact on the workday, I have to be honest and say it's every single symptom. Yes, some are more difficult than others, but all of the symptoms will have an impact on your daily life inside and outside of work.

It is also important to be aware that how menopause impacts you at work will depend on the symptoms you are experiencing and on the job that you were doing. The role that we are performing at work may exacerbate symptoms – for example, if you are a nurse and working on ongoing chronic sleep deprivation it is going to be a hard burden to carry. If you work in retail and you are experiencing aches and pains this can be extremely distressing being on your feet all day, equally sitting at a desk all day when you're experiencing aches and pains adds further distress.

If you are overwhelmed with your workload, which is a very common feeling, I would recommend breaking your day down into bite sized chunks, so it is more manageable. Having a daily to-do list can be of great benefit too as it helps you keep track (especially if brain fog is an issue) and also will help you feel on top of your workload. Just don’t be over ambitious and create lists that are too long! Aim for 5 key tasks each day and work from that.

Having support at work is really important, through your work colleagues and managers and I would encourage you to utilize this support as much as possible. 

Possible areas within your workplace to look for support are as follows:

• Direct Line Manager 
• Occupational Health Nurse 
• HR Representative
• Employee Assistance Program
• A Menopause Champion, if one exists in your organisation.

CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) can be extremely beneficial during menopause and most organisations now offer an internal employee assistance program. I would really encourage you to incorporate this as an additional support in your working life.

Top 5 tips for discussing Perimenopause or Menopause with your manager:

1. Awareness 
Make your manager aware that you would like to speak to him or her about your menopause symptoms, this may simply be an email which states that you would like to meet to discuss some menopause symptoms you are experiencing or you can add it as an agenda item to your regular 1:1’s if you have them. The key here is that you are giving your manager some time before you have this conversation.  This is an important step. It allows your manager time to do the research that they can do to ensure they are able to have the conversation in a manner which will benefit both you and your manager. Requesting a meeting a week in advance (minimum) gives your manager plenty of time to do some research and understanding around menopause. If you do not feel comfortable talking to your manager about this subject then look to see who else you can speak to, this may be a colleague in HR or an Occupational Health Nurse.

2. Preparation and Desired Outcome
When the meeting is scheduled do some prep work beforehand, the key here is to think about what your main symptoms are that impact on your working day, I would recommend discussing no more than 2 in your initial meeting. When you present an issue or a challenge for you, have in your mind what you would see the solution to that being.

3. Notes
Write some notes, you may be experiencing some concentration issues so it may be beneficial to have some notes jotted down before the meeting so you can chat and go through your key concerns.

4. Role Play
Practise the conversation in front of the mirror, with your partner, a friend or fellow work colleague. It will help reduce any nerves, anxiety you may feel about the conversation. Also use this as an opportunity to look at various outcomes.

5. The Meeting
A few minutes before do a breathing exercise to prepare and calm you. Have your notes and water. Remember you are here for support and your manager will want (ideally) to support you too. Give your manager some time to respond with solutions.  In the meeting you may agree to make some changes which may be very easy to make quickly, however there may be other solutions which may take longer so do give your manager some time to come back to you.

Remember the aim of the meeting is for you to get support and practical solutions for the changing symptoms of perimenopause or menopause that may be impacting on your workday. This is an opportunity for you and your manager to work together to support you through your menopause journey. Approaching this in a united way is of huge benefit to both. 

For more menopause management tips follow Catherine O’Keeffe on Instagram at @wellnesswarrior.ie