Optical professionals have outlined how menopause affects women in the workplace ahead of World Menopause Day 2025 (18 October).
Specsavers senior events and communication manager, Lou Furby, told OT that menopause can result in a diverse range of symptoms and affect a woman’s confidence.
“Something you hear quite often from women going through menopause is the phrase, ‘I just don’t feel like me’,” Furby said.
She added that it was only after she gained perspective on her experience that she realised how much menopause had affected her.
“I now know, being back to my normal self, just how much of myself was missing for 10 years,” Furby highlighted.
She is the co-founder of Menotalk – a Specsavers colleague support network that was rolled out in 2021.
Wellbeing webinar: Menopause Matters - Tools for Health, Confidence and Balance
This webinar will provide practical insights and tools to enhance both personal insight and professional practice
Furby said that part of the motivation behind establishing the group was to prevent other women within Specsavers from having the same experience of menopause that she had.
Optometrist, Dr Valarie Jerome, outlined the effects of perimenopause on her working life.
“I started to have insomnia, mood swings and to not be able to juggle as many plates as I normally could,” the Eye Got You host told OT.
“I didn’t know what was happening to me. The only way I could describe it to my GP was ‘It is as if someone has hacked my brain’,” Jerome shared.
Reflecting on her approach to providing menopause support in the workplace, Jerome highlighted the value of having an open-door policy.
“People then feel like they can talk to you about anything,” she said.
Jerome added that flexible and part-time work schedules can also be helpful for some women.
Furby highlighted the value of talking about menopause in the workplace.
“One of the early changes that I made is that I sat in on team meetings and I told people I had symptoms – I openly said things like ‘I’ve got menopause brain today’,” she said.
Furby shared that while some people were initially awkward about her openness, there were others that gave her a smile of understanding.
“Now I sit on calls and women openly talk about menopause brain and brain fog,” Furby shared.
Navigating menopause in the workplace
OT puts a spotlight on how menopause is affecting women working in optics, and how employers can step up to support their staff
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