Creating a menopause-friendly working environment – some tips for employers

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Giving rise to a great many column inches and a lot of studio airtime, the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) recently issued new guidance for employers on menopause in the workplace.
Over the last 5 years or so, general awareness of the perimenopause and menopause in the UK has soared, helped in part, by high-profile celebrity support. As a result, as a nation, we are now much better informed about the range of symptoms associated with menopause and how women might be affected. This, in turn, has led many employers to consider what support they might put in place for their female workers and, alongside that, to better understand the legal position.
With research from the CIPD finding that 67% of working women between 40 and 60 with experience of menopausal symptoms reporting that those symptoms had had a negative impact on them at work, it is important that employers understand the legal protections that are in place for women. The new EHRC guidance, which has been compiled using a number of other organisations as a reference group, including the CIPD, has been designed to help employers understand their legal obligations towards workers experiencing menopausal symptoms. Whilst it does not amount to statutory or binding guidance on employers, it is a useful reminder of the legal issues that can arise.
The guidance broadly identifies the following key issues for employers to consider:
Leaving legal obligations and discrimination risks to one side, with research from the Fawcett Society finding that one in ten employed women left work due to menopause symptoms, it is not surprising that employers are looking at ways in which they can support their female staff through the menopause in a bid to reduce this loss of talent.
Menopause is something that all women will experience, and with this in mind, employers who offer a demonstrably supportive menopause-friendly environment (regardless of whether someone meets the legal test for disability) are likely to see the benefits – not only from those for whom menopause is already a reality but also from the younger generation for whom working for an employer with a commitment to workforce well-being will be a priority.
With that in mind, whilst support measures will vary across different organisations, potential options to explore include:
These are just a few of the avenues of support you may want to consider but there are many more initiatives that you may want to explore. We know from the advice we’ve been giving, not least since the EHRC released its guidance, that this is an area which employers are actively engaging with. If this is an area you would like to discuss with us, please do get in touch.
Menopause symptoms can have a significant impact on women at work. Research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development found that two thirds (67%) of working women between the ages of 40 and 60 with experience of menopausal symptoms said they have had a mostly negative impact on them at work.
https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/menopause-workplace-guidance-employers