The Employment Rights Act of 2025 is the first UK legislation to explicitly address menopause and formally recognising it as a workplace issue, requiring employers with more than 250 staff to implement Menopause Action Plans and support employees experiencing the menopause. From April 2026 it is mandatory but in 2027 it will become legally required.
What does a good menopause (or wider health) policy look like?
These plans need to detail how they will support staff through the menopause. These plans are linked to broader equality initiatives, including gender pay gap reporting, and encouraging employers to focus on supporting individuals rather than determining whether their condition qualifies as a disability, ensuring fair treatment and workplace wellbeing.
A good menopause policy should
create an inclusive and supportive workplace where employees feel comfortable discussing their needs and in return receive the appropriate support. It needs to contain a plan setting out the key employer obligations and the proactive steps to be taken to support employees affected by the menopause.
It should include;
- Flexible working arrangements available- these are to accommodate symptoms such as fatigue or hot flushes
- Practical workplace adjustments available, including considerations for uniform, temperature control, workload, and rest breaks
- Training available for managers and staff in recognising menopause symptoms, providing support and how to foster an open and compassionate culture, plus give managers the confidence to initiate conversations and know how to follow through
- Information about the appointment of a menopause champion or ambassador to act as a point of contact and provide information
- Regular risk assessments to ensure that the workplace is supportive to the employee’s needs
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Points of further reference and support, such as available resources i.e. counselling services, employee assistance programmes, medical advice, useful websites
- As with every policy, to be monitored and reviewed regularly to ensure that it remains relevant and effective. Feedback from employees could be sought to aid in this process and any required adjustments and improvements made.
Supporting menopause at work is not just about having a Menopause Plan though!
To promote an open, inclusive and supportive environment and company culture that endorses inclusion, well-being and productivity, this needs to be reflected in all aspects of HR policies, procedures and practices. This needs to start from before employment such as in job adverts, recruitment and selection processes, and then induction and onboarding. An example of the latter would be a health questionnaire where employees could disclose that they have menopause symptoms and thus the appropriate adjustments can be implemented at the start of their employment, rather than having to be raised by the employee due to them struggling or by the line manager as they have a performance or a attendance concern.
For new and existing employees, it is having a robust and effective menopause policy as part of an overall health and wellbeing policy and culture, ensuring that these are ‘lived’, in addition to using available support such as occupational health, counselling services, all in the essence of fostering an overall view that engaged, valued and healthy staff lead to a productive organisation.
For further information and support on putting your menopause plan, policy and support in place please contact me at Strategic HR-
jenny@strategichr.co.uk
