Almost 900,000 women in the UK left their jobs over an undefined period because of menopausal symptoms, Parliament has said, citing a 2019 CIPD survey. A menopause policy does not count as support if it sits in a handbook and changes nothing on the floor. For perimenopausal staff, the practical test is simple: can they raise symptoms safely, get a consistent response from managers, and stay in work without being penalised for fluctuations in attendance or performance? Employers that treat the policy as a paperwork exercise risk keeping women silent.
What a usable action plan has to cover
A credible menopause action plan starts with leadership commitment and a clear statement that menopause is a workplace issue, not a private inconvenience. It should name who owns the process, spell out how an employee raises concerns, set confidentiality rules, and show where support sits, whether that is occupational health, HR, or a line manager trained to act. Without that structure, staff are left guessing which manager knows what to do and whether disclosing symptoms will harm their record.
The policy should cover manager training, flexible working, temperature controls, uniform changes, workload review, and absence management that does not punish symptom-related variability, including hot flushes, poor sleep, brain fog or anxiety.
The detail employers cannot leave vague
A workable plan should include:
- named responsibility for approving and reviewing adjustments
- a confidential route for employees to ask for help
- manager training on symptoms, triggers and consistent responses
- access to occupational health or another specialist support route
- flexible hours, rest breaks, remote working where possible, and shift changes
- temperature, ventilation and uniform adjustments
- workload review when symptoms are affecting concentration or stamina
- a clear absence process that records menopause-related patterns without stigma
- return-to-work conversations that revisit what helped and what still needs changing
Why this is a retention issue, not a wellbeing extra
The UK Parliament Women and Equalities Committee is examining the discrimination faced by menopausal people at work and how government policy and workplace practice can support them. Parliament has also cited a 2019 CIPD survey showing that three in five menopausal women, usually aged 45 to 55, were negatively affected at work.
By the end of 2024, the British Menopause Society put the number of employed women in the UK at almost 5.5 million. The 2024 Menopause Mandate Big Menopause Survey drew responses from more than 19,000 people, and Catalyst found that 84% wanted more menopause support at work while more than one-third said symptoms negatively affected them.
What current guidance is already telling employers to do
NHS England’s guidance for line managers and colleagues on supporting people through menopause puts line managers in the frame, not just HR. Most day-to-day decisions about workload, rotas and performance happen there. Acas tells employers to have steps, procedures and support in place, with early and regular follow-up conversations so managers can understand needs and identify adjustments before problems harden.
The British Menopause Society’s employers’ guidance describes its clinician-facing tool as a “how-to” guide for organisations that want to write their own menopause guidance.
How to tell whether a policy is real
The easiest way to judge a menopause policy is by the questions it can answer. Can a manager say who owns it, what happens after disclosure, and which adjustments are available without asking HR to reinvent the process each time? Can the organisation show that staff know the policy exists and trust it enough to use it?
A GOV.UK press release on gender pay gap and menopause action plans places menopause within wider equality planning rather than leaving it as an optional wellbeing add-on. Those plans are meant to prompt meaningful action that helps employees thrive, and a Cabinet Office impact assessment dated 2024-10-21 proposed requiring employers with 250 or more staff to publish Equality Action Plans covering evidence-based steps to improve gender equality, including closing the gender pay gap and supporting women through menopause.