What employers can do

It may feel difficult to work out how best to respond to menopause and ensure staff are supported, but there are lots of things you can do to help employees and create an open and supportive culture. In this section we'll suggest some ideas, including:

• Create a policy
• Encourage communication
• Respond to the symptoms
• Carry out risk assessments
• Time off work
• Offer training and awareness raising
• Tackle bullying & harassment

Create a menopause policy

To clearly outline organisational procedures that are in place to support and assist those going through the menopause, it may be useful to create an official policy.

A policy on the menopause may include:

• A general introduction, highlighting what the policy is for and reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to treating all individuals fairly.
• Outline the aims and objectives of the policy – to provide clarity on what the menopause is understood to involve and helping women feel confident enough to raise issues about their symptoms and ask for reasonable adjustments at work.
• Mention legislative compliance, including the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Equality Act 2010.
• Examine the key principles of providing assistance for the menopause, including support levels and the types of adjustments that may be needed. Organisations could also outline any action or support groups that are being put in place to help, alongside any intentions to work with menopause actions and third-party groups.
• Outline what workplace factors may make it difficult for women in the workplace going through the menopause and reaffirm the organisation's commitment to ensuring this will not happen.
• List any support that the organisation offers, including line managers, HR representatives and any further groups.

Encourage communication

Organisations should remember that the menopause can be a sensitive topic for individuals to approach in general and that some people may be embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about it. Additionally, depending on the workforce, some women may struggle to communicate any difficulties that they are experiencing due to language barriers.

Although employees should be encouraged to talk to their managers if they feel they need to raise any issues, women in this situation may not wish to disclose this kind of personal information. To combat this, a point of contact should be clearly established within an organisation, such as a welfare officer who is fully trained in dealing with these matters and are fully approachable.

Respond to the symptoms

If an employee discloses that they are having difficulties as a result of the symptoms associated with the menopause, reasonable steps should be taken to assist and improve their daily working activities. It is important to remember that every employee’s needs should be addressed sensitively and that confidentiality should be maintained as much as possible.

Possible ways in which employees can be assisted are outlined below:

Mental health

• Implement and maintain a clear mental health policy.

Bathroom requirements

• Provide easy access to toilet facilities by repositioning the employee, which can help to make them feel more secure
• If necessary, allow for the employee to use toilet facilities that are separate from their colleagues, such as disabled toilets
• Take note of hot and cold spots around the office to ensure comfortable office working temperatures and place people in appropriate positions to combat hot flushes.

Uniform and daily duties

• Avoiding nylon uniforms if possible
• Consider providing alternative tasks to heavy lifting to combat increased levels of fatigue and muscle strain
• Ensure easy access to natural light and the ability to adjust artificial light
• Allow additional rest breaks if possible to combat fatigue
• Make allowances to additional needs for sickness absence
• Make adjustments to the work day and to targets to reassure workers that they will not be penalised or suffer detriment if they require these adjustments
• Consider allowing flexible working, including working from home if possible. 
• Ensure sufficient ventilation and keep office temp level, bearing in mind that the legal minimum requirement is 16 degrees

Networking and disclosure

• Provide opportunities to network with colleagues experiencing similar issues, which could be implemented through awareness groups
• Provide access to counselling services

Carry out risk assessments

The Health and Safety at Work Act requires employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their workers. As such, risk assessments to any potential risks to menopausal women should be undertaken.

Poorly adapted workplace environments and practices can make the symptoms worse, which is why it is essential the company is able to fully respond to these particular requirements. In particular, issues that should always be taken into consideration include temperature ventilation, toilet facilities and access to cold water.

In response, employers should undertake regular risk assessments that can identify areas that can be of detriment to the specific needs of individuals going through the menopause. This can include the following:

• poor ventilation and air quality
• inadequate access to drinking water
• inadequate or non-existent toilet or washing facilities
• lack of control of temperature or light
• lack of appropriate uniforms or personal protective equipment
• inflexible working or break times
• inflexible policies that penalise women because of symptoms instead of helping them
• excessive workloads
• workplace stress
• lack of awareness of the menopause
• lack of management training
• negative attitudes
• unsympathetic line management
• bullying and harassment
• insecure employment

Time off work

In situations where the symptoms are severe, it may be necessary for individuals to take time away from work. It is important that employers remain flexible enough to support their workers in these situations and to ensure support is provided where necessary. Holding a return to work meeting will be valuable to assess any support required. It may be necessary to obtain a GP report or an occupational health report to get medical opinion on any adjustments to be made.

Provide appropriate training and awareness

Managers should be able to respond well to anyone needing support while going through the peri-menopause, acting respectfully and responsively to individual experience and needs.

Organisations should therefore ensure that all line managers and HR representatives understand the organisation’s policy on responding to the menopause and are fully able to respond to it in a non-discriminatory and open manner. Essentially, workers should feel comfortable and secure approaching this topic with their managers.

Potential ways to raise further awareness about the menopause include the following:

• Hold lunchtime awareness sessions and workshops
• Provide leaflets and signposting
• Organise workplace menopause action and support groups
• Liaise with the relevant trade union representatives to ensure they are fully trained on the best methods of responding to issues associated with the menopause
• Liaise with third-party organisations for further information on the best methods

Potential third-party organisations to refer to include the following:

• NHS
• Menopause matters
• The British Menopause Society
• Women’s Health Concern
• British Occupational Health Research Foundation

Respond to bullying & harassment

Organisations should operate a zero-tolerance policy and approach towards bullying and harassment, helping to reduce workplace incidents as staff become aware this behaviour will be taken seriously. Evidence suggests that being subject to bullying and harassment can make the symptoms of the menopause much more severe and lead to further examples of stress and depression.

As such, all complaints of bullying or harassment should be investigated in a timely manner. Keeping the employee informed of the actions that are being taken will help to address their concerns and ensure them that their complaint has been taken seriously. This will also help in the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy.