Menopause Support at Work: Legal and Practical Guidance

Menopause Support at Work: Legal and Practical Guidance

The menopause is increasingly recognised as an important workplace wellbeing and equality issue. For employers, it is not simply a health and wellbeing matter, it can also have implications for attendance, performance, working arrangements and equality.

With more employees talking openly about their experiences, employers and managers need to feel confident about responding appropriately and supporting employees while also managing the needs of the business.

Understand your responsibilities

There is no specific menopause discrimination law in the UK. However, menopause related issues can potentially fall within existing employment law protections, particularly where an employee’s symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010.

This means employers should take care not to make assumptions about an employee’s capabilities or treat menopause related difficulties as simply an attendance or performance issue.

Employers should also consider whether reasonable adjustments may be appropriate where an employee is experiencing significant difficulties.

Consider practical adjustments

Support does not have to be complicated or expensive.

Depending on the employee and their role, adjustments might include:

• Greater flexibility around working hours or breaks.
• Access to a cooler or better ventilated workspace.
• Allowing employees to keep water readily available.
• Temporary changes to working arrangements.
• Reviewing workloads where symptoms are having a significant impact.
• Adjusting uniform requirements where appropriate.

The right approach will depend on the individual, their role and the impact their symptoms are having.

Think about absence differently

Menopause symptoms can sometimes contribute to increased or unpredictable sickness absence.

Where this happens, it is important not to automatically treat every absence in exactly the same way as other short term sickness.

Employers should consider the circumstances and whether there is an underlying health condition or disability that needs to be taken into account. It may also be appropriate to consider whether menopause related absences should be treated differently when reviewing attendance.

This doesn’t mean that normal absence management procedures cannot be followed. It means taking a fair and informed approach and considering the individual circumstances.

Give managers confidence

Managers may feel uncomfortable raising the subject of menopause, particularly if they don’t know what language to use or are worried about asking inappropriate questions.

Training and guidance can help managers feel more confident having supportive conversations.

They don’t need to be experts in menopause. Their role is to listen, avoid making assumptions and understand when further support or advice may be needed.

A simple, private conversation can often be the starting point for understanding what support an employee may need.

Create an open culture

Employees are much more likely to ask for support if they feel they can talk about their health without embarrassment or fear of being treated differently.

Employers can help by making menopause part of wider conversations around wellbeing and inclusion, rather than treating it as something that should only be discussed when there is a problem.

Having a clear policy or guidance can also help employees and managers understand what support is available and how concerns can be raised.

A practical approach

There is no one size fits all approach to menopause support.

The most important thing is to have open, respectful conversations and consider what could make a practical difference to the individual.

For employers, this means balancing the needs of the employee with the requirements of the role, while making sure decisions are fair and consistent.

Supporting employees through the menopause isn’t just about having a policy. It is about making sure managers know how to respond and employees feel comfortable asking for support when they need it.

How Hallidays HR can help

At Hallidays HR, we can support businesses with practical advice on managing menopause in the workplace, including policies, reasonable adjustments, absence management and supporting managers.

If you would like to discuss any of the above in more detail, then please do not hesitate to contact us on 0161 841 1660 or email hr@hallidayshr.co.uk. And of course, visit the website: Hallidays HR Website  and our LinkedIn page: Hallidays HR LinkedIn