The Need to be Aware of What is Going on
The facts
The menopause is a biological stage usually in a woman’s life (but can be applicable to some non-binary and trans women) when menstruation stops permanently due to the loss of ovarian follicular activity. It usually occurs during 45 to 55 years old, but can happen earlier, because of surgery or medical treatment.
In the UK, the mean age of natural menopause is 51 years, although this can vary between different ethnic groups.
Perimenopause, also called the ‘menopausal transition’ and refers to the period before the menopause when the endocrinological, biological, and clinical features of approaching menopause start. The duration varies, but it typically lasts a few years, and ends 12 months after the last menstrual period.
For many, the initial menopause symptoms are not physical, and can often be mistaken for behaviors and symptoms associated with stress. Many women report feeling overwhelmed, describing it as like ‘adolescence in reverse, with the most common symptoms being anxiety, anger, low mood, lack of confidence, exhaustion / fatigue, weight gain, hot flashes and brain fog’. Fluctuating hormones can affect cognitive function, mood, and stress responses.
Menopause in the workplace
A significant number of employed women are working through their menopause transition. The British Menopause Society reports that up to a third of women will experience severe menopause symptoms that can impact on their quality of life including at work.
It is in the work context that women report greater difficulty in managing symptoms often feeling embarrassed and unable to disclose their difficulties fearing they may be stigmatised. Sadly, those with severe menopause symptoms have a higher chance of exiting employment or reducing their working hours by age 55 years.
This sensitive period coincides with a lack of awareness in the workplace. The issue is often the topic of conversation amongst women alone or joked about nervously whilst they cool themselves down with a fan or heading to the nearest office window to get fresh air. It is essential that employers take steps to properly understand what is happening to women going through menopause in their workplace and how to implement a workforce that promotes menopause understanding and creates a culture in which women feel confident in addressing what is happening to them and receive the necessary support, adaptations, adjustments and understanding.
What are the symptoms? Do the early stages matter too?
It has been known that during the menopausal phase, many women start to doubt themselves and begin to think that they care unable to cope with work, giving rise to them questioning their ability and place at work. With diminishing confidence, many find themselves finding it harder to hold their focus and participate in a way that they used to. The transition is likened to going from this independent worker where you can multi-task easily, to becoming a dependent individual seeking constant reassurance.
Everyday tasks begin to take more effort than usually would be required; and with so many women failing to connect these changes to their hormones, they feel a sense of failure and lack of self-worth.
Employers have been known to take action to try and manage stress or what they assume to be a performance issue, concluding that the problem is with the person instead of their biology.
Education is the first step
Normalizing the conversation in the workplace and acknowledging that women are experiencing a range of emotions and symptoms is the first step to be able to create an understanding supportive environment.
Creating a culture is key
It is important for employers and line managers to be properly skilled to have conversations in an appropriate manner. A one-size fits all approach will not work, so having discussions helps to identify what is best for each employee.
Applicable Law
Employers should make sure they know how the menopause relates to the law, including the:
- Equality Act 2010, which protects workers against discrimination
- Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, which says an employer must, where reasonably practical, ensure everyone’s health, safety and welfare at work
The menopause is not a specific protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. However, if an employee or worker is put at a disadvantage and treated less favourably because of their menopause symptoms, this could be discrimination if related to a protected characteristic, for example:
- age
- disability
- gender reassignment
- sex
Policies
Having a menopause policy or policies that are accommodating for women going through the menopause is something else to consider. For example, does your workplace have policies that allow work adjustments such as flexible working or sickness absence procedures that allow women time off if needed for health appointments, or more breaks to help them during this temporary time of their menopause transition?
Support
The availability of support is another key aspect to address in guidance. Both formal and informal sources of support should be created and detailed in guidance. Who and where can women, or line managers, go when they need some additional help and advice. This could be a named person in HR or the Occupational Health team. You may even have a named ‘menopause champion’.
A menopause or wellbeing champion can act as a point of contact if staff need advice, or someone to initially talk to if they are not comfortable talking to their managers.
With support from the champion, employers, HR and managers could:
- run workshops in the organisation to raise awareness among staff
- let all staff know that the employer will try to support those having difficulties because of symptoms, for example through posters or newsletters
- check that health and safety risk assessments cover the different stages of the menopause
- set up a support network for staff affected by the menopause
- tell staff where they can find more information
It’s also important that employers raise awareness among staff that they will handle menopause in the workplace sensitively, and with dignity and respect.
Carrying out health and safety checks
By law, employers are responsible for the health and safety of all staff, including those working from home. Employers must conduct a risk assessment of their staff’s work and workplace, including any work from home. This includes:
- generally assessing health and safety risks at work
- minimising, reducing and where possible removing health and safety risks for staff
For the menopause, a risk assessment is about making sure symptoms are not made worse. For example, by the workplace or ways of working.
A risk assessment could include:
- the temperature and ventilation of the workplace
- the material and the fit of the organisation’s uniform, if there is one, and whether it might make staff going through the menopause feel too hot or cause discomfort
- whether there’s somewhere suitable for staff to rest if needed, for example a quiet room
- whether toilet facilities are easily accessible
- whether cold drinking water is available
- whether managers and supervisors have been trained on health and safety issues relating to the menopause
Employers should review risk assessments regularly to make sure their staff’s working environments remain safe and healthy. Employers should also make sure that staff know they can approach their managers to raise any health and safety issues and will not be put at a disadvantage or treated less favourably if they do.
Developing a menopause policy
To help staff feel supported it’s a good idea to have a policy specifically for the menopause. This should be shared across the whole organisation, be regularly reviewed and be the basis for any training the organisation gives to managers.
Having a menopause policy can help everyone in the organisation understand:
- what the menopause is and how it can affect people
- how it affects everyone differently
- what support is available to staff affected by it
The menopause policy could also:
- explain what training is provided to managers, supervisors and team leaders
- explain who the organisation’s point of contact is for queries related to the menopause
- show how the organisation is open and trained to talk and listen sensitively about the effects of the menopause
- include the employer’s commitment to support its diverse workforce and to prevent discrimination
Even if there is a policy, employers should make some allowances when supporting staff through the menopause because everyone’s experience will be different.
You should also review your current policies to make sure they cover any links with the menopause. This could include reviewing policies on:
- health and safety
- wellbeing
- diversity and inclusion
- flexible working
- absence management
- sickness reporting
Changing the way that we think about menopause
As an employer, ask yourself – are you comfortable talking about it? This is the key. Talking is the step we need to take. But before talking, comes education. For employers to feel confident discussing the issue, they will feel more comfortable if they are educated and can understand what exactly women are going through and how they can help support them throughout the process.
How can employers create a more inclusive and supportive environment to work in?
Leading by example and ensuring everyone is educated, employers can make these cultural changes and shifts within the workplace to recognise what women are experiencing.
Managing sickness absence and job performance
Because the menopause can be long term and affects everyone differently, managing absence from work should be handled sensitively.
Employers should keep talking with their staff and be prepared to make changes to help staff continue to work, take into consideration any performance issues which might be because of menopause symptoms
Employers should talk to women about any changes that could help them do their job and should also be given a reasonable amount of time to adjust to any changes made. If a woman is off sick because of the menopause, the employer should record these absences separately from other absences. This is because there may be times when it could be unfair or discriminatory to measure menopause-related absence as part of the person’s overall attendance record.
It’s also good practice for an employer to allow women to go to medical appointments related to the menopause. There is no law for this time off, but employees and workers might have a right to paid or unpaid time off written in their employment contracts. Employers must not discriminate against someone because of their menopause symptoms.
Menopause Action Plan
Starting in April 2026, large employers (250+ employees) should voluntarily publish Equality/Menopause Action Plans, with mandatory requirements expected by 2027.
As yet, there are no published legal requirements about what constitutes a Menopause Action Plan that we are currently aware of, however, it will be important to demonstrate that you provide support to create an inclusive environment, where all employees feel valued and understood.
An action plan would outline the steps you commit to take to support your employees through menopause.
The Labour Party Manifesto pledged to strengthen rights to equal pay and protections from maternity and menopause discrimination and sexual harassment. It is possible that the government may also issue Regulations to specify the exact contents a Menopause Action Plan must include.
Menopausal women could also be offered paid time off and working environments with temperature-controlled areas under Labour plans to support the wellbeing of women in the workplace.
Workplace Support Actions include practical measures such as include appointing menopause champions, adjusting lighting/temperature, providing flexible hours, and offering quiet areas.