Private conversations, trained managers and regular follow-ups are the Acas standard for handling perimenopause at work. The practical test is simple: ask what is happening, agree what would help, and check back before symptoms turn into absence, stress or a legal problem.
What Acas expects from employers
Acas’s menopause-at-work guidance centers on early, private conversation rather than waiting for a breakdown. Employers should invite workers to talk confidentially about how menopause or perimenopause is affecting them, then use that discussion to identify adjustments that fit the individual rather than forcing one universal fix.
Symptoms are not the same from one person to the next. Menopause usually happens between 45 and 55, but can occur any time up to a woman’s mid-60s; premature menopause can happen before 40. The Society of Occupational Medicine says around 30 to 60 percent of women experience symptoms, and about 1 in 100 experience premature menopause. Hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disruption, anxiety, brain fog and heavy bleeding do not call for the same workplace response, which is why Acas stresses early and regular follow-up conversations.
Regular conversations help employers understand changing needs and can resolve issues early before any potential legal action is taken. Support should be reviewed, not assumed to have worked after one friendly chat.
What to ask for in the room
If you are preparing for a conversation with your manager, go in with a clear ask: make the meeting private, explain what is affecting your work, and ask for practical changes that match your symptoms.
A useful checklist looks like this:
- Ask for a private conversation, not a hallway update or a hurried chat between meetings.
- Name the symptoms that are affecting work, such as sleep loss, temperature swings, anxiety, brain fog or heavy bleeding.
- Ask who will handle the conversation, and whether that manager has been trained to deal with menopause sensitively and consistently.
- Ask for adjustments that fit the problem, such as flexible start times after poor sleep, more frequent breaks, easier access to water or temperature control, or a temporary review of workload and deadlines.
- Agree when the arrangement will be reviewed, because support should be followed up early and regularly as needs change.
- Ask for the agreement to be documented, so there is a record of what was requested and what was put in place.
Why this is now a legal issue, not just an HR one
Acas’s menopause-and-the-law guidance is explicit: menopause is not a standalone protected characteristic, but issues can arise under sex, age and disability discrimination. It also points employers to the Equality Act 2010 and the Human Rights Act 1998.
The House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee published its report Menopause and the workplace on 28 July 2022, and the Government was given two months to respond. The Equality and Human Rights Commission followed with workplace menopause guidance in February 2024, and on 22 February 2024 it published videos on employers’ legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and on workplace adjustments to avoid discrimination.
Employers should have steps, procedures and support in place. If a workplace cannot explain how it handles menopause-related requests, who is trained to respond, or how it checks whether adjustments are working, it has no clear process in place.
What the numbers say about unmet need
A December 2023 survey found four in five UK women felt workplace support for menopause was lacking. Catalyst’s 2024 survey found 84 percent of respondents wanted more menopause support at work, and more than one-third said their symptoms negatively affected them.
In evidence to Parliament, Acas said it handled more than 700,000 calls in 2020 to 2021, and its website received nearly 19 million visits in the same period.
Where discrimination risk starts
A 2025 Employment Tribunal judgment in Julie Evans v Eddie Stobart Limited found that, at the relevant times in May to August 2024, the claimant was a disabled person under section 6 of the Equality Act 2010 because of the menopause. That does not mean menopause is automatically a disability in every case, but it does show how symptoms can be treated as legally actionable in the right circumstances.
If a workplace says it supports wellbeing but has no private route for disclosure, no trained managers, no follow-up process and no written adjustments, it is relying on language instead of practice.
When to see your GP
Workplace changes can help, but they are not a substitute for medical review. See your GP if symptoms are severe, persistent, or are affecting sleep, mood, concentration, bleeding or day-to-day functioning. Heavy bleeding, worsening anxiety or brain fog, and symptoms that are disrupting work or home life need proper assessment.