Supporting employees through menopause at work
Supporting employees through menopause at work
It's easy, as a business owner, to view menopause as a private health matter that sits outside your responsibilities as an employer.
That assumption is proving costly: it's losing organisations experienced staff and leaving them exposed to discrimination claims with no cap on the compensation involved.
The number of employment tribunal cases referencing menopause has climbed sharply, from 64 in 2022 to more than 200 in 2024.
In 2024, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published new guidance for employers on this issue, and tribunals are paying close attention to how organisations respond.
Here's what that means for your business, and the steps you can take.
What it costs your business to get this wrong
Women aged 45 to 55 make up the fastest-growing group in the UK workforce, and many hold experienced or senior roles. One in ten women have left a job because of menopause symptoms.
Losing someone at that level costs far more than the price of a job advert. Once you factor in recruitment fees, onboarding time and the institutional knowledge that leaves with them, the true cost can reach two to three times their annual salary.
Set that against the cost of reasonable adjustments: a desk fan, flexible start times, a temporary easing of targets. These are low-cost measures that protect your investment in your people.
Retaining experienced employees should be a strategic priority. Losing them because their symptoms went unaccommodated is an avoidable loss.
The legal position: where menopause and employment law meet
Menopause is not, in itself, a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. That said, where symptoms are substantial and have a long-term effect on someone's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, they can meet the legal definition of a disability.
Once that threshold is met, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Failing to do so opens the door to a disability discrimination claim.
Employees may also have grounds to bring claims under sex discrimination and age discrimination law, given how closely menopause is connected to both characteristics.
Where an employee feels she has no option but to resign because her symptoms were ignored or dismissed, this can amount to constructive dismissal.
It's also worth remembering that discrimination awards are uncapped. In Lynskey v Direct Line (2023), a tribunal awarded more than £64,000 after the employer failed to adjust performance expectations for an employee experiencing severe menopause symptoms, and was critical of the organisation's lack of compassion. That case reflects a wider, accelerating trend.
Practical adjustments that genuinely help
The adjustments that prevent claims and retain good people are usually straightforward. What matters most is responding properly the moment someone says they're struggling.
Common examples include:
Flexible start and finish times where fatigue or disrupted sleep is a factor
Access to a fan, or relocating the employee to a cooler part of the workplace
More frequent breaks throughout the working day
A temporary reduction in workload or performance targets during periods of severe symptoms
None of these come with a significant price tag. What they do require is managers who feel equipped to have the conversation confidently and sensitively.
Where employers most often go wrong
The most common problem I encounter through my HR consultancy work with businesses across Harpenden and St Albans relates to absence management.
Many organisations run sickness absence policies with fixed trigger points: once someone reaches a set number of days off, a warning follows. If menopause-related absence is counted alongside general sickness, you risk applying that policy in a discriminatory way. It's worth recording these absences separately and reviewing whether your existing trigger points are still appropriate.
The second area where things go wrong is at line manager level. An employee raises menopause, the manager isn't sure what to say, and the conversation stalls or is avoided altogether. The employee ends up feeling unsupported, her performance declines, and she eventually leaves or raises a grievance.
That sequence shows up repeatedly in tribunal decisions. It's almost always avoidable with proper preparation.
Giving your managers the tools they need
Managers don't need to become medical experts. They need to understand two things: what the law requires, and how to have a supportive conversation.
When a member of your team tells their manager that menopause symptoms are affecting their work, that manager's response shapes the outcome. A compassionate, practical response builds trust and keeps someone performing well. An awkward silence or a dismissive reaction can set off a chain of events that ends in a tribunal.
Training your managers on this topic is one of the most effective steps you can take. It protects your business legally, and it shows your employees that they're valued as individuals.
A quick self-check for your business
Before moving on, it's worth reflecting on where your business currently stands:
Does your sickness absence policy treat menopause-related absence differently from general sickness?
Have your line managers been given any guidance on responding when an employee raises menopause as a concern?
Is there a clear process for identifying and implementing reasonable adjustments?
Would your managers feel confident holding a sensitive conversation about symptoms affecting someone's work?
If you answered no to any of those, there's work to be done. The good news is that the steps involved are practical and proportionate.
How Progressive HR Solutions can help
I can help you put a menopause policy in place that gives your managers clear guidance on what to do when an employee comes to them for support.
I can also deliver training so your managers feel confident handling these conversations with sensitivity and within the boundaries of the law.
Beyond that, I'll review your absence management procedures to check that your trigger points aren't inadvertently putting you at risk of a discrimination claim.
As an outsourced HR consultancy based in Harpenden, I work with businesses across St Albans and the surrounding area to address exactly these kinds of people challenges.
If you're unsure about your current obligations or want to get ahead of this issue, get in touch and we can have a practical conversation about what support would look like for your business.
Get in touch with Progressive HR Solutions to arrange an initial conversation.
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