Women represent a significant proportion of the UK workforce, with almost 5.5 million women aged 45-60 years currently in employment. Yet, despite improvements, women remain underrepresented at senior levels, holding just over a third of senior leadership roles in large organisations.
For many women, the point at which career progression reaches its height coincides with perimenopause and menopause. With around three-quarters of women aged 40-60 experiencing symptoms, and nearly half reporting a negative impact on their ability to work, menopause is an increasingly important, and often overlooked, factor in retention, progression and leadership diversity.
Without proactive support, organisations risk losing experienced talent at a stage when skills, leadership capability and institutional knowledge are most valuable.
Policies and benefits matter, but culture determines whether employees feel safe using these. Menopause is still treated as a private or taboo topic in many workplaces, meaning conversations often happen when someone is already struggling. Awareness sessions, clear communication and visible leadership engagement can help normalise the menopause and accessing the support available to help people do their best work.
Lived experience sharing, especially from senior individuals, can shift the culture dramatically. It helps to signal that senior people feel safe to open up and share their experiences; that they have found things difficult and been supported at work is impactful for others to hear. This is why one of the most powerful forms of support is peer connection. Employees find speaking with others who understand their experience reduces anxiety, provides reassurance and helps them access information more quickly.
While a peer network is key, the pivotal role leaders play cannot be underestimated. Yet many can feel uncertain about how to raise or respond to menopause-related conversations. Support to help leaders develop the knowledge and skills to properly understand and support employees can make all the difference. This does not require them to be experts, but confident, empathetic leaders. When managers understand the basics and know where to direct staff for further help, the difference in workplace experience is profound.
Menopause affects everyone differently, making one-size-fits-all solutions ineffective. Flexible working options, reasonable workplace adjustments and access to specialist healthcare or advice allow support to be tailored to individual needs. The key is ensuring staff feel confident they can discuss what would help them and know that the organisation will approach the conversation constructively.
Stephanie Root is senior people advisor at Clarion, a menopause-friendly employer
