Hormones at work: time for a work culture that moves with the body

In the workplace, we still often start from the idea of a ‘neutral’ employee: always available, always stable, always equally productive. But the human body doesn’t work like that. Hormones regulate energy, concentration, emotions and resilience. And yet, these realities largely remain undiscussed. The impact of hormones at work is the theme of a lecture by biologist Anneke Valk. At the same time, through initiatives such as the Map Meno project, we’re placing women’s health firmly on the agenda. 

Anneke Valk began her career as a university lecturer in animal biology. While teaching, she noticed that male bodies were consistently presented as the norm. In 2017, she drew up a document on the menstrual cycle for her students. ‘The reactions were telling: many suddenly understood why their energy, motivation and concentration fluctuated throughout the month.’

After the Covid period, her work gained attention within a vitality programme at Wageningen University. ‘Staff were enthusiastic, and suddenly I started receiving requests from organisations that also wanted to hear this story.’ Today, Anneke mainly works as a speaker and trainer, with a clear mission: to make hormonal knowledge accessible in the workplace. ‘This concerns men too! Hormones aren’t exclusively a women’s issue. When people feel better, teams perform better.’

Menopause: more than hot flushes

Menopause is receiving increasing attention, for example in the recent Flemish television series Menopauzia. But its impact on work is still underestimated. ‘The symptoms that most hinder performance are sleep deprivation, problems with concentration and memory, and mood swings,’ says Anneke. ‘Research shows that around 70% of women experience menopausal symptoms that negatively affect their work. 55% feel fatigued more than half of the time. And yet, many women remain silent, out of fear of appearing less competent.’

Three levels of change

According to Anneke, change needs to happen on three levels:

1. Individual: listen, show understanding and take signals seriously.
2. Organisation-wide: small adjustments such as improved ventilation, flexible hours, walking meetings, headphones, or the freedom to choose your own clothing.
3. Future-oriented HR policy: continue the conversation about career aspirations and trust that difficult phases will pass.

‘Did you know that postmenopausal women are the most valued leaders in the workplace?’ Anneke adds. ‘They’re empathetic, wise and decisive. So it’s important to look ahead and realise that this phase, in which the body must find a new hormonal balance, will pass.’

Silent absenteeism

This is why Anneke co-authored the book Zwijgverzuim (Silent absenteeism) with Filip De Groeve, about absence that arises because women don’t dare to speak up about their symptoms. ‘This applies not only to menopausal complaints, but also to discomfort linked to menstruation and early motherhood. If you constantly have to hide what is going on, you go into stress mode. That drains energy. Knowing that there is knowledge within your organisation, as well as space to share, makes a world of difference. It leads immediately to greater self-reliance, less absenteeism, less job switching and far more job satisfaction.’

Map Meno: science with impact

Through the Map Meno project, supported by the Antwerp University Association Seed Fund, our university aims to systematically map the impact of menopause on the body and on quality of life. The project forms part of the broader strategic focus on women’s health: linking research to tangible societal impact.

‘Behind Map Meno is an interdisciplinary team of female researchers and healthcare professionals who no longer want to treat menopause as a distant issue, but as a life phase that affects everyone sooner or later and therefore deserves attention,’ says Vanessa De Bock, researcher at AP University College of Applied Sciences and midwife. ‘Since 2018, we’ve been systematically mapping menopausal symptoms in Flanders – a genuine “meno map” – and we approach menopause from a holistic perspective: not only hormonally and medically, but also mentally, socially and in terms of lifestyle. In so doing, we’ve found that knowledge and awareness can lead to significant health gains, even when the information is provided by early-career healthcare professionals in training: symptoms decrease and women feel heard.’

Isala, UAntwerp’s citizen science project that empowers women to explore their vaginal microbiome and contribute to research, is also involved in the Map Meno initiative: ‘We’re investigating whether menopause causes changes in the vaginal microbiome, in order to detect problems earlier and address them more effectively,’ says microbiologist Sarah Ahannach. ‘Map Meno has a strong emancipatory ambition: it aims to break taboos, strengthen women’s position, and bring into the open the fact that menopause is a normal, yet too often ignored, part of life.’

Looking ahead with hope

‘With Map Meno, we want to approach menopause in an integrated way, with input from women themselves,’ Sarah concludes. Anneke Valk’s final message to women is: ‘Menopause is not your fault. It’s incredibly normal and, above all, a “phase”. The business case is crystal clear: invest in knowledge, and you invest in your organisation. In this way, we can hopefully evolve towards a work culture that’s better attuned to the body.’