29/07/2025
By Katie-Marie Lynch MIEP, Owner of Glitter In The Grey
Katie-Marie recently completed the Over 50s Employability Support certification through the IEP, finding it insightful.
By 2030, more than half of UK adults will be over 50, and one in three workers will be aged 50 or over (Centre for Ageing Better). Despite this, older workers still face detrimental barriers to recruitment, progression, and staying in work. Many leave not by choice, but because they don’t get the support they need to adapt to life transitions whether health-related, caring responsibilities, or shifting career goals.
One area that deserves far more attention and stigma-free conversation is the impact of menopause in the workplace, especially for neurodivergent people where there is increasing amounts or evidence into how this can exacerbate and unmask symptoms of conditions such as ADHD and Autism. There’s a reason why so many people are now getting diagnosed later on in life.
It’s one thing navigating the multiple challenges apparent in the workplace and recruitment as an older jobseeker, but to throw in a handful of menopausal symptoms with a generous sprinkle of executive dysfunction is a difficult combination. When workplaces don’t acknowledge the very real existence of this, it serves nobody.
Menopause affects an estimated 13 million people in the UK at any given time, and evidence shows it can significantly impact working life:
– Over half of menopausal employees report negative effects on work
– One in ten leave their job due to symptoms (CIPD, 2023)
– The cost to UK employers is estimated in the billions annually through lost talent and productivity.
According to research from Autistica:
– 54% of autistic women surveyed weren’t diagnosed until after menopause.
– Many reported more severe sensory issues, mental health challenges, and cognitive changes that affected day-to-day functioning.
(Let’s not forget about the effects of peri-menopause and early onset menopause too).
The convergence of age, gender, and neurodiversity isn’t a niche issue, it’s happening across UK workplaces right now. And without informed support, we risk losing skilled, experienced people who simply need different forms of help to stay well and thrive at work.
This certification has helped deepen my understanding of how to better support people through these transitions. If your work touches on inclusive employment, neurodivergence, or workplace wellbeing, I’d love to connect.
When talking about Neuro-inclusivity, it’s not enough to just think Neurotypical or Neurominority. We need to dig deeper.