Ferguson directs commission to develop training, resources for working women experiencing menopause

OLYMPIA – Women in Washington going through menopause could get workplace assistance, following an executive order signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson.

Ferguson on Monday directed the Washington State Women’s Commission to examine state agency policies for workplace accommodations for women experiencing menopause and perimenopause.

In the order signed by Ferguson, the governor also directed the Women’s Commission to collaborate with the Department of Health, the Health Care Authority and the Bree Collaborative to develop guidance and training for workplace accommodations for public and private employers.

Recommendations could include providing more work-from-home options, more flexible dress codes and access to cold water, according to a news release from Ferguson’s office.

Menopause is the natural stage of life when a woman’s menstrual cycle stops. While symptoms vary, they can include hot flashes, trouble sleeping, joint and muscle discomfort and difficulty concentrating, among others, according to the National Institute on Aging. Perimenopause is the transitional phase before menopause, and typically begins in a woman’s late 30s or 40s.

As he announced the executive order during an event at Armoire, a women’s clothing rental business in Seattle, Ferguson said that “like too many issues around women’s health, we don’t talk much about menopause.”

“We believe that this is one of the most comprehensive, single pieces of policy put forward to date, combining both worker protections with increasing health profession education on perimenopause and menopause,” Ferguson said.

A written report detailing the implementation of the executive order is due by April 30.

Under the executive order, the Women’s Commission and the Office of Financial Management are directed to review current policies and procedures for executive and small cabinet agencies, develop new best practices, develop new training materials, review potential licensing credits for health care providers for menopause and perimenopause education, and develop guidance for public and private employers “interested in” adopting workplace policies.

Ahead of the formal executive order signing, Ferguson said women in the workplace often choose to leave their profession or consider doing so due to menopausal symptoms. According to estimates from the Mayo Clinic estimated $1.8 billion in productivity losses result from menopausal symptoms each year. According to the Society for Women’s Health Research, around 40% of women either considered leaving their job or left their job due to menopausal symptoms, while about a quarter of women either considered or decided not to seek a leadership opportunity in their workplace.

“We are losing people in the workforce with tremendous knowledge, tremendous experience, we are losing their voices and leadership, because we are not doing enough to prepare for a natural stage of life that impacts half of our population,” Ferguson said.

The issue, Ferguson said, is one of “fairness” and “equity,” and that the state should not be reliant on a “patchwork of accommodations” for women.

“We must do more to support women, and to support employers who want to keep their experienced staff in the workforce,” Ferguson said.

Brittany Gregory, director of the Women’s Commission, said Monday that work began “late last year,” when the commission began to hear from women who had “nowhere to turn.”

“Their doctors did not have answers when they were having heart palpitations and panic attacks and experiencing other uncommon symptoms during perimenopause, and their workplace had no accommodations,” Gregory said.

According to Gregory, 600,000 women in Washington in the workforce who  are in either their 40s or 50s, the typical ages at which women go through perimenopause and menopause.

“By issuing an executive-level directive to create standards for menopause accommodations in the workplace, we become one of the first states to say women do not have to suffer in silence,” Gregory said. “And that is important, and that is something that we should be proud of.”

Editors note: This article has been updated to clarify that 600,000 Washington women in the workforce are eighter in their 40s or 50s.