Menopause: The Untapped Opportunity for Corporate Benefits in the Future

Celia Chen, in her late 40s, began experiencing a range of symptoms like anxiety, high blood sugar, acne, and chronic shoulder pain. She attributed these symptoms to her stressful job as a marketing executive, which involved extensive travel and long hours. After switching gynecologists, she learned that these changes were actually due to her transition to perimenopause. Her doctor advised her to slow down, stating that her body was demanding a break. This realization was a turning point for Ms. Chen.

She eventually made changes to her lifestyle and became a consultant, allowing her to have more control over her work hours and stress levels. However, many women experience similar symptoms associated with menopause, which can last for a decade, and these symptoms often hinder their careers. According to a recent study by the Mayo Clinic, 15 percent of women either miss work or reduce their hours due to menopause symptoms, resulting in an estimated annual productivity loss of $1.8 billion for women. Another research conducted in the UK indicated that women who reported disruptive menopausal symptoms at age 50 were 43 percent more likely to leave their jobs by age 55.

Recognizing the impact of menopause on women’s careers, some companies are now incorporating menopause-specific care into their benefits packages, just as they include fertility treatments, paid parental leave, and childcare. These benefits often include virtual access to certified specialists, who may be difficult to find locally, and coverage for hormone treatments that are not always covered by insurance.

For Sanofi, a healthcare company, adding menopause perks was an obvious choice to support their employees throughout their life cycles. Nathalie Grenache, Senior Vice President of People and Culture, believes that providing comprehensive support leads to greater employee engagement. She also mentions that the new generation is more demanding in terms of workplace support.

Corporate support services for menopause are gaining rapid popularity. Companies like Peppy, a gender-inclusive telehealth company, offer menopause support in workplaces. Maven, a healthcare benefits provider, launched a menopause product offering app-based telehealth access to specialists, therapists, and community chat rooms. Within just nine months, over 150 companies signed up for this product, making it the fastest-selling product in Maven’s history.

Menopause affects a significant percentage of female workers, with over 40 percent of women being at least 45 years old, the typical age of transition. This transition, marking the end of a woman’s reproductive years, comes with a range of symptoms such as insomnia, hot flashes, and brain fog. These symptoms can be debilitating due to the lack of effective treatment options and limited research on the changes menopause brings to the body.

Despite the high cost and common experience of menopause, it has been largely ignored in the workplace. A survey conducted by Bank of America revealed that 58 percent of women feel uncomfortable discussing menopause at work, considering it too personal and fearing judgment from coworkers.

However, as more women attain senior leadership positions, attitudes are changing. According to Max Landry, co-CEO of Peppy, the upcoming generation of women going through menopause will not accept the silence surrounding it, unlike their mothers’ generation.

Some legal experts suggest that existing laws may require companies to make accommodations for menopause, which could extend beyond menopause-specific benefits to include flexible schedules or designated cooling spaces. The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, for example, mandates accommodations for workers experiencing pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and “related medical conditions.” Liz Morris, Deputy Director at the Center for WorkLife Law, argues that this could include the end of fertility.

Ultimately, corporate benefits alone are not enough. Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, Executive Director of NYU School of Law’s Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, emphasizes the need for further research to prevent symptoms and explicit laws that prohibit discrimination. She believes that corporate benefits only scratch the surface of addressing the issue.