{"id":955,"date":"2026-06-29T19:49:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T18:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.silverlocks.org\/en\/?p=955"},"modified":"2026-06-29T19:51:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T18:51:36","slug":"why-companies-should-talk-about-menopause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.silverlocks.org\/en\/why-companies-should-talk-about-menopause\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Companies Should Talk About Menopause"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s a moment that many women in their 40s and 50s know all too well. You’re sitting in a meeting, suddenly drenched in sweat, struggling to find the word that was right there a second ago. Your heart is pounding. You’re exhausted from another night of broken sleep. And the last thing on earth you want to do is explain to your manager \u2014 or your colleagues \u2014 what’s actually going on. If any of this sounds familiar, you’re far from alone \u2014 and it’s exactly why companies should talk about menopause<\/a><\/span> far more openly than most currently do.<\/p>\n

For decades, that silence was considered professional. Polite, even. You just got on with it. But that silence has a cost \u2014 for women, for companies, and for the economy as a whole.<\/p>\n

And increasingly, forward-thinking organisations are realising that talking about menopause isn’t uncomfortable. Not talking about it is what’s truly costly.<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why Companies Should Talk About Menopause: The Scale of the Issue Is Bigger Than You Think<\/b><\/h2>\n

Right now, there are an estimated 13 million women in the UK navigating perimenopause or menopause<\/a><\/b> \u2014 that’s 1 in 3 of the total female workforce. The average age of menopause in the UK is 51, but perimenopause \u2014 the hormonal transition phase with the most disruptive symptoms \u2014 can begin as early as the early 40s.<\/strong><\/em> That means the women most affected are often the same women who’ve spent 20-plus years building expertise and holding senior positions.<\/p>\n

According to the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)<\/p>\n

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73% of women aged 40\u201360 who are currently employed have experienced symptoms related to menopause transition<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Two-thirds of those say the symptoms have had a mostly negative effect on their work. Over half \u2014 53% \u2014 have had to take time off work at some point because of their symptoms.<\/p>\n

That is not a small minority. That is a significant proportion of the experienced female workforce, quietly struggling \u2014 and often leaving.<\/p>\n

The Talent Drain Nobody’s Talking About<\/b><\/h2>\n

Here’s what makes this a genuine business crisis rather than just a health issue: 1 in 10 women who work during menopause leave their jobs<\/a> because of their symptoms<\/b>. Not because they’ve lost interest. Not because they lack ambition. But because their workplace has failed to offer them the most basic understanding or support.<\/p>\n

Women aged 45\u201355 are, on average, at the peak of their professional capability \u2014 occupying senior roles, managing large teams, holding institutional knowledge that took decades to build. Losing this cohort doesn’t just affect individual women’s careers; it actively hollows out organisations and widens the gender pay gap.<\/p>\n

The CIPD found that 27% of women say menopause has had a negative impact on their career progression<\/b><\/a>. And for women with a disability or long-term health condition alongside menopause, that figure jumps to 36%. When we factor in the intersectional data \u2014 that 38% of ethnic minority women report menopause has quite or very negatively impacted their career progression \u2014 it becomes clear this is also very much a diversity and inclusion issue.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the CIPD also found that only 24% of organisations have a menopause policy or other support measures in place<\/b>, and more recent research from Brightmine<\/a> puts that figure at just 45% even among larger employers \u2014 with only 3% making their policy publicly available. A separate 2026 survey found as few as 18% of UK workplaces had a menopause policy at all.<\/p>\n

The gap between the need and the provision is enormous.<\/p>\n

What This Costs Companies (and the Economy)<\/b><\/h2>\n

The UK Parliament’s own report on menopause in the workplace identified 14 million working days lost each year due to menopause<\/b>, a figure that equates to approximately \u00a31.88 billion in lost productivity<\/b>. Research from Peppy Health<\/a> extends this further: when perimenopause is factored in alongside menopause, the total economic cost could be as high as \u00a32.9 billion per year<\/b> \u2014 the equivalent of 22 million lost working days.<\/p>\n

Research published by Entrepreneur UK<\/i> puts the figure at \u00a31.7 billion annually in lost productivity, lost working days, and menopause-driven unemployment<\/b>. Meanwhile, the balance menopause app calculated that the lack of awareness and support could be costing the UK economy close to \u00a310 billion<\/b>, once recruitment and retraining costs are factored in.<\/p>\n

The government’s own literature review, published in 2025, estimates an annual cost of approximately \u00a31.5 billion due to unemployment caused by menopause<\/b>, plus a further \u00a3191 million due to absenteeism.<\/p>\n

Whichever figure you use, the message is the same: this is not a “soft” issue. It has a very real bottom-line impact.<\/p>\n

And for individual employers? Replacing a senior female employee costs between 50% and 200% of her annual salary<\/b>, depending on the sector. For a role paying \u00a360,000, that’s potentially between \u00a330,000 and \u00a3120,000 in recruitment, retraining, and lost productivity \u2014 for one person, one departure. When you’re losing employees from an identifiable, addressable cause, and you haven’t addressed it, that becomes a strategic oversight.<\/p>\n

The Legal Picture Is Changing<\/b><\/h2>\n

Beyond the human and financial case, there’s an increasingly important legal dimension that companies cannot afford to ignore.<\/p>\n

While menopause is not (yet) a standalone protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010<\/b>, it is covered by three existing protected characteristics: age, sex, and disability. Employers who dismiss, demote, or fail to support an employee because of their menopausal symptoms are at real risk of discrimination claims<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And those claims are happening.<\/p>\n

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Menopause-related employment tribunal cases<\/a> more than tripled between 2022 and 2024<\/b>,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

rising from 64 to 204 reported cases in a single year. Employers are losing them \u2014 sometimes at significant financial cost. In one notable case, a claimant won \u00a318,000 in compensation after her manager’s demeaning comments about her menopausal status created a hostile work environment.<\/p>\n

The regulatory direction is clear. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025<\/b>,<\/a> employers with 250 or more workers are now required to produce equality action plans \u2014 which must include actions to support employees experiencing menopause. These plans are currently voluntary but will become mandatory from April 2027<\/b>. Companies that haven’t started thinking about this will face a very tight window.<\/p>\n

The CIPD puts it plainly<\/a>: organisations have a legal obligation to conduct health and safety risk assessments that consider the specific needs of those experiencing menopause \u2014 looking at temperature, uniforms, toilet access, rest facilities, and more.<\/p>\n

Why Companies Should Talk About Menopause: The Conversation Itself Is the First Step<\/b><\/h2>\n

It’s tempting to think that “supporting employees through menopause” requires a big budget, a new HR department, or an elaborate policy document. It doesn’t. The most powerful first step is also the simplest: just start talking about it<\/b>.<\/p>\n

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Approximately 94% of women believe that society should be more open about discussing menopause<\/b>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

When workplaces normalise that conversation<\/a> \u2014 when a manager knows enough to have a kind, informed check-in with a team member \u2014 the difference it makes is enormous.<\/p>\n

Research consistently shows that the gap between supported and unsupported employees is stark. The CIPD found that 84% of women who are unsupported say menopause symptoms have a mostly negative effect at work<\/b>, compared with 71% of those who feel supported. That gap is the direct result of whether a conversation happened \u2014 or didn’t.<\/p>\n

There’s also evidence that manager training makes a significant difference. A government-cited study found that 90% of managers who received menopause training reported improvements in their knowledge and confidence<\/b>. Equipping managers to have sensitive, informed conversations with their teams is one of the most cost-effective interventions an employer can make.<\/p>\n

What Good Menopause Support Actually Looks Like<\/b><\/h2>\n

Companies leading the way on this aren’t all spending large amounts of money. Many of the most effective adjustments are low-cost and high-impact. Here’s what the research and best practice suggest:<\/p>\n