Managing the effects of menopause at work is important for both employers and workers.
For those experiencing symptoms it can be a difficult and stressful time. Everyone will experience menopause differently and for some, symptoms can be severe. Menopause can affect people both physically and mentally.
Menopause is a natural stage of life which affects most women and other people who have a menstrual cycle.
This can include some people who:
- are transgender
- have variations in sex characteristics (VSC) – some people might use the terms intersex or differences in sex development (DSD)
- are non-binary – someone who's non-binary does not see themselves as exclusively a man or a woman
It's important for employers to be aware of all of the people who might go through menopause and menopause symptoms and to support them all equally.
Menopause usually happens between 45 and 55 years of age but it can also happen earlier or later in someone's life. For many people symptoms last about 4 years. In some cases, symptoms can last a lot longer.
There are 3 different stages to menopause:
- perimenopause
- menopause
- postmenopause
Some people might experience early menopause or go through medical menopause earlier in their lives. These types of menopause can be medically complicated, so employers should consider this when supporting their workers.
All stages and types of menopause are different. Symptoms can vary from person to person, and range from very mild to severe.
Find out more about menopause on the NHS website
Why it's important
For employers, menopause is a health and wellbeing concern for workers and needs to be handled sensitively.
It's important for employers to be aware that menopause and its symptoms can affect people at any time. Being aware of this can help workers continue to do their job confidently and effectively.
Menopause can also have an impact on those supporting someone going through menopause, for example a relative, partner, colleague or carer.
Although menopause will only be experienced by women and other people who have a menstrual cycle, men should also be included in conversations and training. This is because they might be supporting others going through it.
Supporting and creating a positive and open environment between an employer and someone affected by menopause can help prevent the person from:
- losing confidence in their skills and abilities
- feeling like they need to take time off work and hide the reasons for it
- having increased mental health problems such as stress, anxiety and depression
- leaving their job
If someone is discriminated against
If an employee or worker is put at a disadvantage or treated less favourably because of their menopause symptoms, this could be discriminatory if connected to a protected characteristic.