Guidance

Offer workplace adjustments for employees experiencing menopause

Published 4 March 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Purpose of this action

The aim of this action is to provide employees experiencing menopause with workplace adjustments that meet their specific needs. This allows you to consider other factors that may affect how someone works, such as other health conditions.

Adjustments can include:

• flexible working hours
• access to private rest areas
• ergonomic office furniture
• specialist health advice
• environmental settings, such as the temperature and ventilation of the workplace 

You can also provide these adjustments for employees with other conditions related to menstrual health, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids.

Benefits and evidence

These actions may help to create a supportive work environment. Employees may feel more able to disclose their symptoms and how work might be making them worse.^{[footnote 1]}

Menopause symptoms may have a significant effect on career progression.^{[footnote 2]} Research has found that one in ten women who work during the menopause leave their jobs because of their symptoms.^{[footnote 3]} Sometimes this happens because employers do not offer enough support or flexibility. By prioritising employees’ individual needs, you may improve retention rates.^{[footnote 4]}

Despite the case for menopause-specific adjustments, in a recent survey, 45% of women reported that they were unaware of workplace adjustments provided by their employer.^{[footnote 5]} 

Some evidence also suggests that workplace adjustments can help employees with menstrual health conditions. For example, research into endometriosis suggests that working from home and flexible hours may help employees manage symptoms and stay in work.^{[footnote 6][footnote 7]}

Implementing this action

To support an employee, you can:^{[footnote 8]}

• set up flexible working arrangements
• let them work from home when practical
• let them take breaks when needed or give them a private space to rest
• give them some control over their environment, such as a fan, a desk near a window or ergonomic furniture

When you introduce workplace adjustments, you should:

• use confidential consultations or anonymous surveys to find out what your employees need
• clearly outline the menopause-specific adjustments your organisation offers^{[footnote 9]}
• ensure HR and managers know how to have supportive conversations and use menopause risk assessments
• respond to requests as soon as possible – consider setting an expected timeline for your organisation, such as 10 working days
• agree any changes in writing
• review them regularly, and check in with employees often to ensure they are working for both the employee and the organisation

Tracking outcomes

You might want to consider tracking the progress of this action by:

• collecting data on the proportion of people using adjustments, by age and sex
• looking at absence and retention rates, by age and sex
• using anonymous surveys or exit interviews to ask for feedback on how effective workplace adjustments are – note that not all employees will want to share their menopause status
• use any feedback to review your policies and improve what you offer

You should gather data before you start this action. This can help you monitor any changes for your target group, such as women aged 40 to 60 years.

Data privacy

Some or all of the equality information you collect is likely to be ‘special category personal data’, meaning it has special legal protections. 

Ensure that you are complying with the UK’s data protection legislation when you collect and analyse employees’ data.

Get advice and approval from your organisation’s privacy or data protection expert before you start.

1. Brewis J, Beck V, Davies A and Matheson J (2017) Menopause transition: effects on women’s economic participation. Government social research report: DFE–RR704, July. London: Department for Education. ↩

2. Department for Work Pensions (2025) Menopause in the workplace literature review. ↩

3. The Fawcett Society (2022) Menopause and the workplace. ↩

4. Department for Work Pensions (2025) Menopause in the workplace literature review. ↩

5. Benenden Health (2026). Missing in the Workplace.  ↩

6. Dudley C, Kerns J and Steadman K (2017) More than “women’s issues” – women’s reproductive and gynaecological health and work. ↩

7. Hvala T and Hammarberg K (2025) The impact of reproductive health needs on women’s employment: a qualitative insight into managing endometriosis and work. BMC Women’s Health 25, 216. ↩

8. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2023) Menopause in the workplace. ↩

9. Brewis J, Beck V, Davies A and Matheson J (2017) Menopause transition: effects on women’s economic participation. Government social research report: DFE–RR704, July. London: Department for Education. ↩