October 2022.

We talked to Andy Johnson, Social Inclusion Manager, on participating with the Menopause conversation, being an active ally and working towards being an inclusive colleague for colleagues in the workplace, to friends, family, and members in his personal life and wider community.

What made you interested in learning about the menopause?

The menopause will likely affect 100% of people at some point in their life, whether that be by directly experiencing symptoms themselves, or indirectly through the impact it is having on colleagues, partners, family members and/or friends.

I was aware that I knew very little about the menopause and how to best support those around me, who might be experiencing menopausal symptoms, in whatever they are doing. I didn’t know what the symptoms were, what to look out for and I had no insights into the impact these symptoms could have.

I wanted to know more about what actions and adjustments I could make myself, that would have a positive impact on enabling those experiencing the menopause or peri-menopause, to feel supported and enabled to thrive. I wanted to understand how I could help develop, and be part of, an inclusive environment, as well as being as supportive a colleague, partner, family member and friend as possible.

"The menopause will likely affect 100% of people at some point in their life, whether that be by directly experiencing symptoms themselves, or indirectly through the impact it is having on colleagues, partners, family members and/or friends".

What resources have you used, and have you attended any events within your workplace?

In July 2022 I attended the Menopause awareness session held at Warwick, as I was assisting colleagues delivering the event, and I wanted to find out more about the menopause and how to support this in the workplace.

As the only man / person who identified as male in the room, I was initially very nervous about asking any questions, or seeking further insights or clarification within the discussions, as I felt like an imposter in the space and I was worried about saying the wrong thing.

However, I knew I wanted to be a supportive colleague, and wanted to better understand how my actions and input can enable colleagues experiencing the menopause to thrive, and so I put up my hand and asked my question. And I was so pleased that I did… I was able to get a much better understanding of symptoms around the menopause and gain some insights from colleagues with lived experience, on how as a male colleague I could be as inclusive and supportive to others experiencing menopausal symptoms in my life.

Following this event, I have now undertaken the ‘Menopause at Work’ Moodle course, which took about 40 minutes to complete, and gave me a great introduction to what the menopause is and some suggestions on how to be supportive. I would recommend this course to everyone as an entry level introduction to the Menopause.

I’ve been exploring resources on the Balance-Menopause website and exploring other online resources which have helped expand my knowledge and understanding of how to engage with the conversation, make reasonable adjustments, and be more inclusive and an active part of the conversation.

Earlier this month, I also attended and actively supported the Menopause Ideas Café, which helped celebrate World Menopause Day (18th October), and enabled further discussions how all members of our community can engage with, and become active supporters and champions of the Menopause. You can find out more about the Ideas Café event here.

I’d like to encourage all colleagues, from all Sex and Gender-Identities, to engage in the Menopause conversation, and to work towards making our community a more inclusive and safe space for all.

What have you learned that has helped you?

• Don’t assume anything!
• The experience of every person with menopausal symptoms will vary and is likely to be unique to them.
• Don’t assume that everyone showing or experiencing menopausal symptoms knows that they are potential symptoms of the menopause. They may not be aware, or recognise that these symptoms could be linked to the menopause, and so this could come as a surprise. Be aware of the fight or flight response, and be tactful when checking-in with colleagues without jumping straight to a menopause conversation.
• Use the resources out there (there are lots of them and I’ve already mentioned some of these earlier) and do engage with training and conversations to learn more and be better informed.
• If and when a colleague/closely linked person, lets you know they are menopausal or peri-menopausal, be as supportive as you can. Find out what actions you can take or support with that would have the biggest impact for them. Warwick has Menopause Guidelines and a Menopause Passport to help facilitate this conversion.
• If colleagues don’t mind, and are happy to share, do find out more about their experiences and ask questions to help you become better informed and inclusive in your actions moving forwards. Not everyone will be willing to do this, but those I have spoken to have been very open and insightful.

What actions have you already taken?

"Be brave, be bold and don’t shy away from having potentially challenging and uncomfortable discussions and this could potentially have real, positive and impactful outcomes on those around you."

On the back of some of the events and information I’d found out, I’ve spoken to colleagues who were happy to chat to me about their own lived experiences, to find out more about this experience, what has worked for them so far, what could have made a bigger impact and how I can support them in the ongoing conversation moving forwards.

On a personal level, feeling more aware of what to look out for, I started to notice some of the menopausal symptoms being exhibited by my partner. The menopause was not something either of us had on our radars, and this had never been discussed or considered. I was able to approach this topic by talking about the workshops I’d attended and shared some of the resources and information I had been given.

On the back of this, my partner also recognised some of the symptoms themselves and made an appointment to see a doctor. The results have come back and although they didn’t point to menopause at this stage, they did highlight a potential cause of some of the symptoms, and this is now being treated to help improve health and wellbeing. Without having approached this conversation about the menopause, and my partner acting on this, they may not have identified the potential cause and still be dealing with the impact the symptoms were having.

To me, finding out more about the menopause, and how to support those experiencing symptoms, is crucial for everyone and will help remove barriers and enable all be empowered to thrive and included in a space and community where they want to an active part of.

If you could give one piece of advice about menopause, what would it be?

Menopause affects everyone in some way and so engage with the conversation, be proactive in your actions and get involved to be part of the solution! It’s not always an easy conversation, but be brave, be bold and don’t shy away from having potentially challenging and uncomfortable discussions as this could potentially have real, positive and impactful outcomes on those around you.