Help for your organisation to retain women, who are often highly skilled and experienced, by accommodating and supporting colleagues and employees navigate the workplace when going through the peri/menopause transition.
Let’s start with some numbers
Government figures show that the employment rates for women aged 50-64 has increased which means that more people than ever before are experiencing menopause during their working lives.*
Menopause is not just confined to these age groups.There are those who go through the menopause early due to genetics, cancer treatment or surgical menopause following a hysterectomy.
In 2022 The Fawcett Society, a charity campaigning for gender equality and women’s rights, published the Menopause and the Workplace report from a survey of 4,000 UK women aged 45-55 which found:
1 in 10 people who worked during the menopause left their job because of their symptoms (for those with a disability that number increased).
8 in 10 said their employer provided no support for menopause
28% had either reduced their hours at work or gone part-time
8% had NOT applied for promotion
26% had taken time off work due to their symptoms but just 30% of those women gave menopause as the main reason on their sick note ,often citing anxiety or depression – both symptoms of perimenopause.
Why is the workplace so tricky to navigate when going through the peri-menopause/ menopause and how do we lift this second glass ceiling?
Perimenopause/Menopause is not as well understood as pregnancy or maternity in workplace culture, policies or training.
Some symptoms can negatively impact performance in the workplace
Because of debilitating symptoms many women feel they have no choice but to reduce their hours, leave their careers or give up their jobs often because their employers do not provide support and/or a work environment where these issues can be addressed.
Menopause is a cause of women’s careers stalling but it doesn’t have to be….
Actions employers can take to support women going through this transitional change:
Improve awareness and understanding around menopause and signpost where your staff can go to find help and information
Employee surveys - find out what types of support staff and managers need
Create a psychologically safe workplace environment and break down stigma – talk openly about menopause at events, have senior leaders share their lived experience about menopause to raise awareness.
Hold Menopause training/briefing sessions for managers/all staff
Menopause champions/advocates – have a designated person staff can talk to at work as an alternative to their manager
Have in place a Menopause policy
Adapt your policies – e.g. include menopause as a recognised reason for absence
Consider and make workplace adjustments – on a case by case basis and according to individual and business needs
Share information e.g. use the intranet or notice board make information visible
Review Health & Safety checks.
Benefits
Improved wellbeing.
Increased engagement.
Less absence.
Retention of valued individuals within your organisation.
You will attract people to your organisation. In 2024 a nationwide survey of over 3,000 women suggested 13% of these professionals were actively seeking jobs that provide better menopause support.
Compliance with health and safety legislation. Your organisation is less likely to breach their legal duties and obligations when managing sickness absence and job performance and when carrying out workplace risk assessments.
The law
The number of menopause-related claims in the employment tribunal is rising rapidly but there are no menopause-specific employment laws.
Instead, the existing protected characteristics of age, disability, sex and gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010) may provide protection against unfair treatment for employees who are experiencing the menopause at work (depending on the facts. In severe cases, it may be possible to bring a discrimination claim based on one or more of these protected characteristics).
Get in touch
If you are interested in Rumana and Caroline delivering a short lunchtime talk on menopause in the workplace to your staff, we would be delighted to do so. Please contact us at: r.bennett@saltworkslaw.co.uk and c.lewis@saltworkslaw.co.uk.
*These findings are also relevant to people who do not identify as women – Trans people, non-binary people and intersex individuals.