Creating your menopause strategy

Implementing policies and creating a supportive culture

Understanding the significance of a menopause policy

Why have a menopause policy?

Developing a standalone organisational policy or plan on the menopause can serve a number of purposes, for example:

It will act as a prompt to systematically audit the organisation’s existing policy provision related to the menopause and think strategically and practically about how to develop the most effective framework.
It provides the opportunity for HR to collaborate with its occupational health (OH) service, if it has one, and any employee assistance programme (EAP) partners, to develop a framework that is fully integrated into both people management and OH policies, practices, and provision.

A standalone policy provides clarity for managers and employees, for example by setting out key responsibilities and signposting to sources of support.
Developing a policy provides an opportunity to engage with employees on the issue and shows the workforce the organisation regards the menopause as a serious work-related health issue.
It can provide the framework for evaluating the impact of the organisation’s provision in this area.

Reference: The menopause at work: A guide for people professionals | CIPD

What's in a menopause policy?

If one is developed, a menopause policy should be consistent with the organisation’s wider people management policy provision, and cover key areas including:

Statement of principles, including how the organisation and its senior managers are committed to supporting employees through the menopause transition, and why this is an important workplace issue for everyone.

Policy objectives, including the actions that the organisation will take to implement the policy, and the key outcomes it wants to see, such as a more open and inclusive culture so that people feel able to discuss the menopause and seek the support they need.

Definitions and symptoms of the menopause, to promote a basic understanding among all employees about what the menopause is and how it can impact health.

Key responsibilities, setting out which employee groups have responsibility for implementing specific aspects of the policy, including senior managers, line managers, HR, employees, and occupational health.

Activities and initiatives to be implemented under the policy, such as stress risk assessments and people manager training.

Links to internal and external sources of support, such as occupational health, an employee assistance programme, counselling services, any internal employee networks, and external support groups.

Reference: The menopause at work: A guide for people professionals | CIPD

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Supporting employees and their symptoms

Employers can support menopausal employees through:

Education and
myth-busting

Sharing information about the menopause with employees

Training or briefing sessions for
managers

Peer support
groups

Adapting absence
policies

Flexible
working

A considerate and understanding manager makes a huge difference. Managers should be prepared to listen to anyone who wishes to share their symptoms.

Supporting employees and their symptoms

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that you need to support anyone who has a major problem with their health, including people going through the menopause.

Everyone experiences menopause differently, with symptoms ranging from headaches and poor sleep, to lack of confidence and low mood, so it’s important for you to create a culture where your employees feel comfortable speaking up about how they’re feeling.

Education and
myth-busting

Young people are rarely told that menopause is not just a phase that they will go through, but that it will be with them forever. Likewise, although most people will be in their late forties or early fifties when they begin the menopause, it can be significantly earlier. So, open conversations about menopause and good, practical advice is key.

Peer support groups

Some companies have begun to hold monthly virtual group sessions for those going through the menopause, giving them a confidential, supportive area where they can talk about their experiences and support each other. This is something which is quite easy to set up and will go some way to show your workforce that you are serious about helping and supporting menopausal people.

Making reasonable adjustments

Clearly, you should recognise the need to consider any reasonable adjustments to address the challenges that menopausal people may suffer, in the same way as you would for any other employee with a disability. However, you should be conscious of the fact that although flexible working may be a great adjustment for some, reduced hours and therefore reduced pay is not the answer for many people.

Establishing internal and external support systems

Training staff members to become menopause or wellbeing champions is a great way to help employees affected by the menopause.

With support from these champions, employers, HR, and managers could:

Run workshops to raise awareness among staff and provide accessible resources.
Promote a supportive culture for those struggling with symptoms.
Check that health and safety risk assessments cover all stages of the menopause.
Set up a support network for staff affected by the menopause.

Finding external advice and support

Don’t offer medical advice but do offer support.
Suggest employees see their GP if their symptoms are affecting their daily life.
Signpost your staff to an employee assistance programme (EAP) or counselling service, if these are available.
There are lots of other resources out there to signpost your employees to. For example, Menopause Doctor which is a website set up by a menopause specialist Dr Louise Newson.
Referral to Occupational Health.

Breaking down stigma and embracing inclusivity

What can you do as an employer?

Research has shown that by taking the menopause seriously and talking about it with those affected, there’s a much better chance of keeping sickness absence to a minimum. It will also help employees to maintain their commitment rather than potentially feeling like they want to give up work completely.

It shouldn’t be an embarrassing topic

Quite often a couple of simple changes to the working environment (e.g. providing a fan) can make a great deal of difference. In many cases, just being able to talk about it openly may reduce some of the symptoms such as anxiety.

Know your team and have regular one-to-ones

This will build a certain amount of trust and hopefully create an environment where your employees can speak openly to you. You'll also be able to notice when someone isn’t working in the same way as they normally do. Confidentiality is key as they may not want others to know that they have a problem.

Provide support just like any other health issue

Don’t make any assumptions about how someone is feeling. If you want to know how they are, then ask them if they’re okay. A genuine enquiry of this kind can go a long way to building the working relationship.

Your responsibility: ensure a safe working environment

You can carry out a risk assessment to see if there is anything you can do by way of a reasonable adjustment to assist them in being able to continue performing their role. Sometimes a temporary adjustment to someone’s work duties can work wonders.