Category Archives: Mental Health Advice

Menopause at Work

Overview

Menopause occurs when a woman hasn’t menstruated in 12 consecutive months and can no longer become pregnant naturally. It usually begins between the ages of 45 and 55, but can develop before or after this age range.

Menopause can cause uncomfortable symptoms, such as hot flashes and weight gain. For most women, medical treatment isn’t needed for menopause.

Let’s start with why menopause is relevant in the workplace.

100% of women will go through menopause but that’s nothing new. What has changed is women’s role in the UK workforce.

Women currently comprise nearly half the UK workforce and the number of older UK women in employment has been rising for a number of years alongside the rising retirement age.

As a result of this more women are experiencing menopause whilst working. Moreover, growth in female leadership means the number of women in senior roles is rising and will continue to do so.

So, menopause is more relevant in the workplace today than it was even 20 years ago because women are working longer and they’re working in more senior positions too. The menopause symptoms women will experience can affect performance at work and impact relationships with managers, colleagues and clients.

Symptoms include poor memory and concentration resulting in an inability to recall facts, figures and names leading to a loss of confidence with colleagues and clients. Hot flushes aren’t just uncomfortable they’re embarrassing too. How would you feel about leading an internal meeting or pitching to clients when you’re at risk of visibly breaking into a sweat every 30 minutes?

The good news is with the right support and access to balanced expert information women can successfully learn to manage symptoms at work and at home too.

What can you do as an employer?

Start by reviewing the occupational health and wellbeing documentation you may have in place. If you require this documentation, please contact us.

• Look at completing a risk assessment for the individual and consider the specific needs of menopausal women with regards to temperature, ventilation, toilet facilities and access to chilled drinking water when they’re in the office, travelling for business or working off site.
• Consider the formal policies and guidelines you currently have in place with regards to topics like managing stress and mental health and how can they be adapted to incorporate the needs of your female employees experiencing menopause symptoms?
• Or would it be more appropriate for your organisation to introduce a menopause policy and guidelines as part of your wider health and wellbeing agenda. It may be beneficial to produce separate guidance to meet the differing needs of staff and managers.

Updating your occupational health and wellbeing documentation is just one way your organisation can support female employees through menopause.

In the meantime, if you have any queries, please contact us.

Alternatively, contact hello@talkingmenopause.co.uk to discuss the range of solutions available to your organisation to minimise the impact of menopause in the workplace.

Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 is a chance for the UK to focus on mental health.

This year’s theme is kindness, with the week running from 18 – 24 May 2020.

The focus on kindness is a response to the coronavirus outbreak, which is having a big impact on people’s mental health. Being kind can significantly improve our physical and emotional wellbeing – whether we are giving or receiving it. There have even been scientific studies into the effects of kindness, showing that acts of kindness help your immune system, reduces stress, gives you energy and are good for your heart! The power of being kind goes even further, it has been proven to slow ageing, improve relationships and it’s contagious!

Some people have mental health conditions like depression or anxiety, which means they have feelings that won’t go away and which start to really affect day-to-day life.

We would like to use Mental Health Awareness Week to celebrate the thousands of acts of kindness that are so important to our mental health. Have you carried out any acts of kindness recently? Here at WHSS we gave chocolates to a care home. Let us know in the comments below on Twitter and LinkedIn.

If you’re worried about mental health, wellbeing, or if you have any questions, speak to a friend, relative or your GP.

Contact us to offer guidance at this time.

What is seasonal affective disorder?

It is more than the “winter blues” or a general feeling of sadness — it’s a major depressive disorder brought about by the lengthening periods of darkness.

It causes lethargy, low energy, difficulty waking up in the mornings and decreased concentration. It’s an issue that can have drastic effects on productivity in the winter months.

How common is seasonal affective disorder?

That is dependent on a variety of factors. But, in the UK and Ireland, it is thought to affect as many as one in three people. It’s likely someone you know in the workplace is beginning to struggle with it.

What are the symptoms of seasonal affective disorder?

Broadly, SAD has the same outward signs as depression:

•persistent low mood
•loss of pleasure or interest in normal everyday activities
•irritability
•feelings of despair, guilt and worthlessness
•low self-esteem
•feeling stressed or anxious
•reduced sex drive
•becoming less sociable.

There are some SAD-specific signs, though, as follows.

•feeling less active than normal
•lethargy and sleepiness throughout the day
•difficulty concentrating
•an increased appetite, particularly for carbohydrates, which can cause weight gain.

What are the risk factors for seasonal affective disorder?

There are some common, easily recognisable risk factors for seasonal affective disorder.

•Women are more likely to suffer from SAD — in fact, they are four times more likely to suffer than men.
•It is more common in everyone the further you get from the equator; the lower hours of sunlight are a big contributor.
•People with a family history of depression are more likely to develop SAD.
•You are more likely to first develop the disorder in younger life. It has even been reported in children.

The most significant and obvious difference between depression and seasonal affective disorder is that SAD is linked to the changing seasons, whereas depression is year-round.

Luckily there are ways to help with SAD that don’t work with “ordinary” depression.

How to help with seasonal effective disorder

There are some quick and easy ways to make the workplace more manageable for people who suffer from serious winter depression.

•Provide more light: offices can become rather dark and dreary when the sun starts setting earlier. Some employees may be seated at desks or in cubicles situated far from the nearest source of natural light. Try rearranging your floor plan to maximise the natural light available and consider moving people suffering from SAD closer to windows.

•Provide even more light: a lot of people suffering from SAD benefit greatly from a SAD lamp or light box, a form of light therapy that uses fluorescent lights to simulate the natural sun.

•Encourage more outdoor time: employees should be taking lunch away from their desks in all offices — it helps clear the mind and means people are ready to attack the afternoon’s tasks afresh. Encourage your staff to go further than the kitchen. Assuming the winter weather isn’t too harsh, lunchtime can be well spent going for a quick walk around the block. It’s about getting as much sunlight and positivity into the workday as possible. Consider short outdoor meetings and coffee runs.

•Help out with health: SAD can wreak havoc on the appetite, causing weight gain, which can make the associated depression harder to deal with. Provide healthier snacking options and hot drink options, such as diet drinks and soups and herbal teas.

Contact us to discuss this further.

There are serious health effects associated with the misuse of drugs including heart disease, HIV and Hepatitis C, psychological illnesses and a greater risk of accidents, to mention just a few. Understanding of the effects of drugs is an important element in the process of accepting that “social” drug users pose a health and safety risk to any organisation.

The Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 lists the drugs that are subject to control and classifies them in three categories according to their relative harmfulness when abused, as follows.