By Antoinette Redmond
At work, its common to lament stress, tiredness, or soreness from standing or sitting for long periods on time with your colleagues. In fact, a lot of workplace bonding can happen while being open about relatable struggles, and they are often treated in casual tone. Why is it, then that when it comes to menopause, the workplace conversation doesn’t flow as easily. As with many “women’s issues”, menopause symptoms are not always taken seriously. Women have felt embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about this transition in the workplace.
Chances are if you are suffering from menopause symptoms at work, you are not the only one. At Planit we are delighted to support & prepare our team for the various stages of the perimenopause & menopause and in general workplace well-being as well as understanding some of our clients & suppliers in similar situations.
To support this, we had a super training course with Niamh yinstinctyoga.com who took the Planit team through a 4-week online course in the evenings. This course will give you a deep knowledge and understanding of the many ways a woman can be affected by pre-, peri- and post-menopause. It will help you learn how much the practices you put at your disposal, can make a huge difference to ease the struggle with which you navigate this intense time. It took us through the benefits of yoga, nutrition, exercise, dealing with stress & overall provided a community for discussion.
We also had the opportunity to attend an Ibec Webinar last June 2021, called supporting women in menopause – hosted by the below.
- Dr Rachel Keelan, Occupational Health Physician, Medwise, Naas
- Fiona Higgins, Head of Knowledge Centre, Ibec
- Linda Reid, Employer Relations Executive, Knowledge Centre
It was very insightful and again some very useful advice and tips for the team.
Beginning in our 40s, it’s likely that you will start to feel frightening changes in their bodies long before they expect to. With this lack of awareness, and this disarming sensation, comes a lot of fear.
Knowledge is key and your knowledge after both the course & the webinar you could reach a member of your team or a colleague before she descends into the potential anxiety, low mood and fear that can characterise this time. We highly recommend it and are delighted to continue the conversation & support each other as a team.
Benefits for participants
- Reduces stress, anxiety, and fatigue
- Reduces back, neck and shoulder pain
- Improves memory, mental clarity, and concentration
- Improves overall health leading to less sick days and absences
- Increases motivation and efficiency
- Improves posture, muscle tone and flexibility
Benefits for the Company
- Improves morale in the workplace
- Reduced staff turnover
- Reduced employee absenteeism
- Higher job satisfaction
- More attractive to potential employees