Menopause in the Workplace: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals During Menopause Awareness Week

As healthcare professionals, we’re often so focused on caring for others that we forget to look after ourselves and our colleagues. This Menopause Awareness Week, it’s time to have an honest conversation about how menopause affects working life, and what we can all do to create more supportive workplaces.

Understanding Menopause: More Than Just Hot Flushes

Menopause is a natural part of life that affects every woman, typically occurring between the ages of 45 and 55, with the average age being 51 in the UK. However, around one in 100 women experience menopause before the age of 40, and symptoms can begin much earlier during perimenopause, sometimes as early as the mid-30s.

The hormonal changes during this transition can trigger a wide range of symptoms. While hot flushes and night sweats are well-known, menopause can cause up to 34 different symptoms, including anxiety, mood swings, brain fog, difficulty sleeping, joint pain, and changes in confidence and self-esteem. These symptoms can start years before periods stop and continue afterwards, meaning many women experience them for several years.

The Reality: How Menopause Impacts Work Life

The statistics paint a sobering picture of menopause in the workplace. Two-thirds (67%) of working women aged 40 to 60 experiencing menopausal symptoms report that it has a mostly negative effect on them at work. Over half (53%) have been unable to attend work due to their symptoms at some point.

Perhaps most concerning is the career impact. Around one in five women say their menopause symptoms have negatively affected their career progression, and approximately one in six (17%) have considered leaving work due to lack of support, with a further 6% having actually left their jobs. When you consider that menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, with almost eight out of 10 menopausal women in employment, this represents a significant loss of experienced talent and skills.

The impact is even more pronounced for certain groups. Women with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and those from ethnic minority backgrounds, report significantly higher negative impacts on their career progression.

Why Menopause Affects Work Performance

The symptoms themselves directly impact work capabilities. Brain fog and difficulty concentrating can make complex decision-making challenging, particularly concerning in healthcare settings where patient safety is paramount. Poor sleep from night sweats leads to fatigue and irritability. Anxiety and mood changes can affect confidence in professional abilities. Hot flushes can be embarrassing and distracting during meetings or patient consultations.

Research shows that healthcare workers, including nurses, particularly struggle to manage symptoms at work and worry about making mistakes that could affect patient care. The physical demands of healthcare work, combined with shift patterns and high-pressure environments, can exacerbate symptoms.

The Silence That Compounds the Problem

Despite 91% of women experiencing at least one moderate to extremely severe menopause symptom, 72% have hidden their symptoms at work. One-third of employees haven’t told anyone at work about their experiences.

Why the silence? Many women view menopause as a personal issue (70%), while others find it embarrassing (11%), worry about negative perceptions (7%), or fear career impacts (5%). More than 10% of women feel discriminated against because of their menopausal symptoms.

This silence is reinforced by negative stereotypes of older women as less capable, and menopause as a period of inevitable decline. These perceptions damage women’s self-confidence and can create a self-fulfilling prophecy around performance.

The Support Gap

Currently, only 24% of organisations have a stated menopause policy or support measures in place, leaving 43% with nothing and a third unsure whether support exists. Even where support is offered, there’s often a mismatch between what’s most helpful and what’s actually provided. While women identify flexible working and temperature control as the most helpful adjustments, only 26% and 25% of organisations respectively offer these.

The economic impact is substantial. Unemployment due to menopause symptoms has a direct economic cost of approximately £1.5 billion per year in the UK, with an estimated one million women leaving the workforce in 2023 due to menopausal symptoms.

What Employers Can Do: Creating a Supportive Environment

The good news? The right support makes a significant difference. Only 71% of supported women report negative impacts at work, compared to 84% of those who are unsupported. Here’s how employers can create menopause-friendly workplaces:

1. Develop a Clear Menopause Policy

A written policy normalises conversations about menopause and clarifies available support. It should cover:

Recognition that menopause is a natural life stage affecting many employees
Available adjustments and support measures
How to request support confidentially
Training for managers
Links to internal and external resources

2. Offer Practical Workplace Adjustments

The most helpful adjustments include:

Flexible working arrangements: Options to work from home, adjust hours, or modify shift patterns
Temperature control: Access to fans, opening windows, adjustable thermostats, or choosing workspace location
Quiet spaces: Areas for breaks when symptoms become overwhelming
Dress code flexibility: Allowing lighter, breathable clothing or layers
Easy access to toilets and cold water
Modified workload or deadlines during particularly difficult periods

3. Train Managers and Raise Awareness

Manager training is crucial. Line managers need to:

Understand menopause symptoms and their potential work impacts
Feel comfortable discussing menopause sensitively
Know how to respond to requests for adjustments
Recognise menopause when managing performance, absence, or flexible working requests
Avoid assumptions or discrimination

Organisation-wide awareness training helps normalise conversations and builds understanding among all colleagues, creating a more supportive culture.

4. Facilitate Open Conversations

Create safe spaces for discussion through:

Menopause support networks or employee resource groups
Menopause cafés—informal gatherings for sharing experiences
Designated menopause champions or wellbeing advocates
Information in staff areas and on intranets

5. Ensure Access to Occupational Health Support

Provide clear pathways to occupational health services that can:

Assess individual needs
Recommend specific workplace adjustments
Provide guidance on symptom management
Support return to work after absence

6. Review Absence Policies

Manage health and absence fairly and flexibly. Consider:

How menopause-related absence is recorded
Avoiding punitive approaches to absence caused by symptoms
Offering phased returns to work if needed
Recognising that symptoms fluctuate

What Employees Can Do: Advocating for Yourself

If you’re experiencing menopausal symptoms affecting your work, remember—you’re not alone, and you deserve support. Here’s how to help yourself:

1. Educate Yourself

Understanding what’s happening to your body helps you recognise symptoms and know what support might help. The NHS website, British Menopause Society, and organisations like Balance offer excellent resources.

2. Track Your Symptoms

Keep a symptom diary noting:

Which symptoms you experience
When they occur (time of day, situations)
How severe they are
What helps or makes them worse

This information is valuable when discussing needs with managers or healthcare providers.

3. Speak Up at Work

This is easier said than done, but remember that 67% of your age group colleagues are experiencing this too. Consider:

Starting with a trusted colleague or HR representative
Being clear about specific adjustments that would help
Framing it as a health and wellbeing issue
Referencing any menopause policy your organisation has

You don’t need to share everything—just enough to get the support you need.

4. Request Reasonable Adjustments

You’re entitled to request adjustments under health and safety and equality legislation. Be specific about what would help, such as:

Moving your desk near a window or away from radiators
Adjusting start/finish times
More regular breaks
Working from home on particularly difficult days

5. Seek Medical Support

Speak to your GP about:

Confirming whether you’re perimenopausal or menopausal
Treatment options including HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy)
Managing specific symptoms
Sick notes if needed for severe symptoms

6. Connect with Others

Join menopause support networks, either within your workplace or externally. Sharing experiences reduces isolation and provides practical tips.

7. Practice Self-Care

While not a cure, lifestyle approaches can help manage symptoms:

Regular exercise (even gentle walking helps)
Healthy, balanced diet
Staying hydrated
Good sleep hygiene
Stress management techniques
Limiting caffeine and alcohol if they trigger symptoms

The Legal Framework

While menopause isn’t a specific protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, employees are protected through:

Sex discrimination: Since menopause primarily affects women
Age discrimination: Affecting a particular age group
Disability discrimination: If symptoms are severe and long-lasting enough to substantially affect daily activities

Employers have a duty of care under health and safety legislation to ensure employee wellbeing, which includes accommodating menopause.

The UK Labour Government’s Employment Rights Bill indicates future requirements for larger employers (250+ employees) to develop equality action plans showing how they’ll support employees through menopause.

Looking Forward: Building Better Workplaces

The shift toward hybrid working post-pandemic has been beneficial, 67% of women feel this makes dealing with menopause symptoms easier. This demonstrates that relatively simple changes can make significant differences.

Supporting colleagues through menopause isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart business. Retaining experienced healthcare professionals maintains service quality, preserves institutional knowledge, reduces recruitment costs, and supports workforce wellbeing.

For healthcare employers specifically, with women making up the vast majority of the NHS workforce and significant numbers in the 45-54 age bracket, good menopause care has direct impacts on workforce retention, productivity, absenteeism, and ultimately, patient outcomes.

Your Actions This Menopause Awareness Week

Whether you’re an employer, manager, or colleague experiencing menopause yourself, here are concrete actions you can take:

Employers and Managers:

Review whether your organisation has a menopause policy—if not, commit to developing one
Arrange menopause awareness training
Audit your workplace environment for temperature control options
Start conversations with your team about menopause support

Employees:

If you’re experiencing symptoms, identify one person you trust to talk to
Research what adjustments might help you
Connect with menopause support resources
Remember: seeking support is a sign of self-awareness, not weakness

Everyone:

Challenge stigma by talking openly about menopause
Support colleagues who may be struggling
Educate yourself about menopause symptoms and impacts
Advocate for better workplace policies

Conclusion

Menopause is a natural life stage that affects around 13 million people in the UK, yet too many struggle in silence at work. The statistics show clear impacts on careers, wellbeing, and retention, but they also show that appropriate support makes a real difference.

As healthcare professionals, we understand better than most that health conditions, whether temporary or ongoing, require accommodation and support. Menopause deserves the same consideration we’d give any other health issue affecting our workforce.

This Menopause Awareness Week, let’s commit to opening conversations, implementing practical support, and creating workplaces where women can thrive throughout their careers—menopause and all.

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