With growing awareness of how debilitating the menopause can be for women, employers are looking at how they can support those affected. So, why is this needed, and how can employers make a difference?
What are employers’ obligations around menopause?
There is no legislation addressing menopause in the workplace specifically, but it is possible that menopause could be viewed as a disability under the Equality Act. This would require employers to make reasonable adjustments for such employees. In the 2022 case of Lynskey v Direct Line Insurance Services, an employment tribunal awarded an employee £64,645 in compensation after her employer failed to make reasonable adjustments to help her overcome her menopause symptoms.
Guidance issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission is likely to lead to further claims. It outlines some reasonable adjustments that employers could implement, such as allowing employees to work from home, providing fans to employers or relaxing uniform policies to enable employees to wear cooler clothing.
It is important to strike a balance and seek legal advice if unsure, however, as making assumptions that someone is suffering from menopausal symptoms could lead to claims of age or sex discrimination.
What should employers offer above and beyond this?
The starting point should be to understand what perimenopausal and post-menopausal symptoms may entail, including brain fog and fatigue as well as hot flushes, and then to consider practical measures that would help support employees. Employees will be able to advise on what would help them in the office, while flexible working will help women manage their symptoms around work and can reduce embarrassment.
More generally, it is important to have a culture where people feel able to speak out about any issues they may have, without fear that they will be judged or compromise their career. Make sure HR teams are trained in how to provide appropriate information and support, and ensure the wider workforce is also aware of the issue to reduce the stigma and taboo that exists around menopause.
AdviserPlus runs menopause cafés for its staff, where all employees can learn, share their experiences or offer support, while Unum has introduced menopause coaching programmes to equip employees with coping strategies.
Finally, employers can direct women who are suffering to external sources of support, where they can access more specialised advice. They could also bring in experts to run in-house sessions or webinars with women and the wider workforce. Employers could also offer access to menopause screening, as part of a wider health check.
What role does reward and benefits play in this?
As well as ensuring employees have appropriate support in the workplace and flexibility in how and where they work, where possible, employers can also provide practical support.
This could include access to occupational health services, private healthcare covering menopause treatments, and wellbeing services such as nutrition advice and physical activity support. Employee assistance programmes can also facilitate access to professionals, including mental health advisors.
Why should employers offer menopause support?
Research by HR consultancy Hoomph, Menopause in the workplace: Breaking the silence, published in October 2024, found that 53% of women say menopause impacts their daily working life, and this rises to 70% for those aged 45-54 years. It also revealed that 15% of women have considered quitting their jobs because of menopausal symptoms, which increased to 21% for women in the 45-54 age group.
There is a strong argument that providing menopausal support can help employees remain productive and retain them in the business. Being seen to support staff can also help enhance the employer brand, which can make it more attractive to potential recruits.
According to Maria Carmen Punzi, an innovation advisor at the Menstrual Health Hub and PhD candidate in Business-Society Management at Rotterdam School of Management Erasmus University, women aged between 45 and 60 years make up 25% of the workforce, so this is an issue that will impact large numbers of employees.
How can employers best communicate this?
While one in seven (15%) organisations say they offer menopause support, just 4% of female employees used menopause support last year, according to research by Zest , suggesting many employers are not effectively communicating any measures they do have. Promotional campaigns focusing on menopause specifically can help draw attention to these.
Employers can also raise awareness of issues surrounding the menopause in general. There are various ways in which they can do this, including the use of personal storytelling through videos, webinars and discussions where women can talk about their experiences. In-house training or webinars can also help to outline the issues and improve wider understanding among employees, including younger women who may not be aware of what they will face in future.
What are the latest trends in this area?
While most organisations still have significant room for improvement in how they handle menopause support, there is now greater awareness and understanding of the issue than there was a few years ago. The advent of menopause champions and peer support groups in the workplace has also helped to raise the profile of this as a topic.
The rise of personalised wellness schemes, where employees can choose which elements are most relevant to them, has also helped, while digital health platforms also now offer access to menopause specialists and symptom-tracking apps.
What costs are involved?
Many employers already offer services such as employee assistance programmes, private medical insurance or wellbeing initiatives, so it is often a case of promoting these and making the link to how they can help those coping with the menopause in particular. Other measures, such as creating cooler areas of the office environment or bringing in an external specialist to offer support and training, will attract costs.
But any investment needs to be set against the cost of falling productivity from staff who are affected by symptoms of the menopause, and the cost of recruiting and training up new members of staff should people feel they need to leave the organisation altogether.
Who are the main providers of menopause benefits?
External experts such as Fertifa, Hertility, the Joy Wisdom Trust and Peppy can provide specialised support for employees, while Medichecks can provide women’s health checks and blood tests.
Benefits providers such as Zest or Heka can help tailor programmes to support employees with a range of measures, including private medical insurance, employee assistance programmes, gym membership or nutrition and wellness support. Organisations can also approach providers directly.
Law firms can help provide advice on developing appropriate menopause support policies and making reasonable adjustments, and consultancies such as AdviserPlus can also provide HR-specific advice.
