Having worked in the construction industry for nearly 30 years I've seen a few toolkits in my time and met a few tools!

A toolkit to help you navigate midlife and the menopause in the workplace is a really useful resource for both individuals and businesses.

So what is a menopause toolkit? Well, it's different things to different people. For individuals it's a collection of methods and techniques to help you manage the impacts of the menopause, specifically tailored to suit you. No two toolkits are the same as every woman's experience of the menopause transition is different both in terms of the impacts and the severity.

For businesses, it's a hub which you can signpost employees to if they want information and support to help them manage the menopause. It shows you are open to the conversation, have some awareness and can guide employees to the right place both internally within the organisation and externally to other resources.

Why is it important? From the individual's perspective, it helps you identify holistic ways to help you manage what affects you the most. For some it can be the cognitive impacts such as anxiety, brain fog and concentration. These can be magnified by being in a stressful workplace environment. It can be hard to admit when you are struggling to do your day to day job because of these impacts and many women suffer in silence, but once you've developed your toolkit you will be much better placed to manage them.

For businesses, it's part of a framework of support for women going through the menopause. It also provides line managers with an awareness and the information they need to feel comfortable having the conversations with members of their team and to signpost them to the right resources.

What if you as an organisation had links with trusted experts and coaches who you could signpost women to for advice on creating their toolkit? It might be the difference between women continuing in their role rather than stepping back, going part-time, not going for promotions or leaving altogether.

Make it part of the organisation's culture of support, together with mental health first aiders and mentors, so women don't have to suffer in silence.

If you're an individual or an organisation who wants to create a menopause toolkit, you can contact me at k.sandford@workwithmenopause.co.uk for more information on how we can help you.

You can find Karen on Linkedin