How can Employers Support Menopause in the Workplace?

Oct 16

6 min read

World Menopause Day is held on the 18th October each year and is an opportunity to raise awareness of menopause and encourage more open conversations about its impact on everyday life, including the workplace.

We thought we'd take the opportunity to give our HR insights for employers on this topic.

Menopause can affect people in different ways. While some experience few symptoms, others may find that symptoms affect their concentration, sleep, confidence, mood and ability to work comfortably. Creating a supportive workplace isn't just about understanding menopause. It's about knowing what practical steps employers can take to help people feel supported and continue to thrive at work.

How can menopause effect people?

Menopause is a natural stage of life, but the experience varies from person to person.

Perimenopause is the period leading up to menopause, when symptoms may begin, while postmenopause describes the period afterwards. According to the NHS's guide to menopause and perimenopause symptoms, symptoms can have a significant impact on daily life, relationships and work. They may also continue for several years.

Common symptoms include:

Hot flushes and night sweats
Difficulty sleeping and fatigue
Anxiety or low mood
Difficulty concentrating or memory problems, sometimes described as brain fog
Headaches and joint or muscle aches
Changes to menstrual periods

For employees, these symptoms may make certain aspects of work more challenging. Someone experiencing poor sleep may struggle with fatigue, while another employee may find concentration-intensive tasks more difficult. It is important not to make assumptions. Not everyone experiences menopause in the same way, and support should reflect the individual's needs.

Why should employers take menopause seriously?

Supporting employees through menopause is part of creating a healthy, inclusive workplace. When employees feel unable to discuss their symptoms or ask for help, they may struggle in silence, lose confidence or consider reducing their hours or leaving their job. Acas guidance on managing menopause at work explains how supportive conversations and an open workplace culture can help employees continue working confidently and effectively - see here https://www.acas.org.uk/menopause-at-work

There is also a clear business consideration. Retaining experienced employees helps organisations maintain valuable skills, knowledge and relationships. A supportive approach can help employers address workplace barriers before they contribute to avoidable absence, reduced engagement or the loss of experienced staff.

What are an employer's legal responsibilities?

Menopause is not a standalone protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Employees experiencing menopause may be protected from discrimination depending on their circumstances. For example, menopause-related treatment could raise issues of sex or age discrimination. If symptoms have a substantial and long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, they may also meet the legal definition of disability. Employers should therefore consider each situation carefully rather than assuming that menopause is either automatically covered by disability law or never covered by it.

Acas guidance on menopause, discrimination and the law explains the relevant legal considerations for employers

Employers also have responsibilities under health and safety legislation to protect employees' health, safety and welfare so far as reasonably practicable. The important takeaway is that employers should take concerns seriously, avoid discriminatory treatment and consider appropriate support.

What are reasonable adjustments and practical workplace support?

Where an employee's menopause symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, the employer may have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments. However, employers don't need to wait until a legal duty applies before considering practical changes that could help someone at work.

Acas guidance on supporting employees through menopause provides examples of adjustments and workplace changes employers can consider including:

Flexible working hours: allowing some flexibility around start and finish times where possible.
Temperature and ventilation: providing a fan, improving ventilation or allowing access to a cooler working area.
Additional breaks: allowing employees to take breaks when needed.
Access to rest facilities: providing a suitable private area where someone can rest if necessary.
Working from home: considering home working where the role and business needs allow it.
Changes to duties: temporarily adjusting particular tasks where appropriate.
Time for medical appointments: considering requests for time off to attend menopause-related appointments in line with workplace policies and contractual arrangements.

These are examples rather than a fixed checklist. An adjustment that helps one employee may not be useful to another. The government's guidance on reasonable adjustments for disabled workers also provides examples of changes employers may need to consider, including adjustments to working arrangements, equipment, recruitment processes and phased returns.

How can managers have supportive conversations?

For some employees, discussing menopause at work can feel uncomfortable or personal. They may worry about being judged, treated differently or perceived as less capable. Managers can help by creating an environment where employees feel able to raise concerns confidentially and without embarrassment. They don't need to be medical experts. Their role is to listen, understand how work may be affected and explore what support could help.

A few practical steps can make a difference:

Choose an appropriate setting. Have the conversation privately and allow enough time to listen properly.
Ask open questions. For example, "Is there anything about your working environment or arrangements that would help you feel more comfortable?"
Avoid assumptions. Don't presume that an employee is struggling, or that every person experiencing menopause needs the same support.
Agree practical next steps. Discuss possible changes together and establish how they will be put into practice.
Review the arrangements. Symptoms and needs can change, so adjustments may need to be revisited.

Acas advice on talking with employees about menopause explains how to approach conversations sensitively and agree appropriate changes. Employers can also use the government's guidance on training managers to support employees experiencing menopause to help managers understand menopause and respond appropriately to requests for support.

Should your business have a menopause policy?

A dedicated menopause policy can help employees and managers understand what support is available and how to access it. For smaller businesses, this doesn't need to mean creating a complicated document or introducing an expensive wellbeing programme.

A useful policy or guidance document could explain:

How employees can raise menopause-related concerns
Who they can speak to for support
How workplace adjustments will be considered
How confidentiality will be handled
How managers should approach conversations
Where employees can access further information or occupational health support

It should also make clear that employees will be treated with dignity and respect. A policy is only effective if people know it exists and managers understand how to put it into practice. Consider including menopause awareness within wider equality, diversity and inclusion training and manager development.

What about Menopause Action Plans?

There is also a developing policy focus on menopause support in the workplace. Since April 2026, employers with 250 or more employees have been able to publish voluntary menopause action plans. These plans can set out steps to support employees experiencing menopause and help organisations identify and address workplace barriers. The government intends to make menopause action plans mandatory for employers with 250 or more employees from spring 2027, subject to the relevant legislation and implementation arrangements.

The government's guidance on creating a menopause action plan explains how employers can assess their current approach, identify areas for improvement and develop practical actions.

For smaller employers, a formal action plan may not be required, but reviewing workplace practices can still be valuable. Understanding what employees need and taking practical action can help build a more supportive working environment regardless of business size.

Don't forget workplace risk assessments

Employers should also consider whether their working environment creates additional challenges for employees experiencing menopause. For example, high workplace temperatures, inadequate ventilation, unsuitable uniforms or limited access to toilet facilities may make certain symptoms more difficult to manage. The government's guidance on conducting a menopause risk assessment offers advice on identifying potential workplace issues and considering suitable measures to reduce risk.

A risk assessment should reflect the actual working environment and the needs of employees. It can be particularly useful in workplaces where employees have limited control over temperature, clothing, breaks or access to facilities.

Five steps employers can take this World Menopause Day

World Menopause Day is a useful prompt to review what your organisation is already doing and identify where improvements could be made.

1. Raise awareness

Share reliable information about menopause with employees and managers. Normalising the conversation can help reduce stigma and misconceptions.

2. Review your working environment

Consider temperature, ventilation, access to toilets and rest facilities, uniform requirements and whether employees have somewhere suitable to take a break.

3. Equip managers to offer support

Make sure managers understand how to listen, discuss potential adjustments and handle sensitive information appropriately. The government's menopause manager training guidance can help employers identify useful training approaches.

4. Check your policies and procedures

Review sickness absence, flexible working, equality and inclusion, and reasonable adjustments procedures to ensure they are appropriate and applied fairly.

5. Ask employees what would help

Employee feedback can highlight barriers that management may not have considered. Provide a suitable way for people to raise concerns and explain how their feedback will be used.

Building a workplace where people feel supported

Menopause is not something that should have to be hidden or endured in silence. For employers, the goal isn't to have all the answers. It's to create a workplace where employees can raise concerns, managers know how to respond and practical support is considered fairly. Small changes to working arrangements or the physical environment can make a meaningful difference to someone's working day.

Take the opportunity to look at your workplace through your employees' eyes. Are people confident they can ask for support? Do managers know what to do? And are your policies helping remove barriers rather than unintentionally creating them?

A supportive workplace starts with awareness, but it makes a real difference when that awareness leads to action.