Guidance

Train managers to support employees experiencing menopause

Published 4 March 2026

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Purpose of this action

The aim of this action is to give managers the knowledge and skills they need to support employees experiencing menopause.

Training can help managers to:

• understand what support and guidance the organisation offers
• learn how menopause affects people in different ways
• talk and listen with sensitivity

This training can also help employees with other health conditions related to menstrual health, such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and fibroids. It can help prepare managers to have supportive conversations about health conditions that affect women.

Benefits and evidence

Most women will experience menopause at some point in their lives. Symptoms often last for several years in middle age and can affect wellbeing, productivity and whether people stay in their jobs.

Evidence suggests a gap between what employees need and the support they get. For example in recent surveys:

• about two-thirds of working women aged 40 to 60 years said menopause symptoms had a negative effect on their work^{[footnote 1]} 
• three-quarters of respondents reported hiding the real reason for menopause-related absences, largely because they preferred to keep it private from their manager^{[footnote 2]} 
• only 8% of respondents know of any manager training on women’s health^{[footnote 3]}

Research suggests that women report wanting their managers to have a better understanding of menopause and to create supportive policies.^{[footnote 4]} Many women can feel they cannot talk about their symptoms because of the stigma around menopause and ageing.^{[footnote 5]}

Training managers may help break this taboo.^{[footnote 6]} It may encourage them to start conversations and support their employees experiencing the menopause.^{[footnote 7]}

Investing in training may also:

• increase trust^{[footnote 8]} – managers may feel more confident discussing menopause after training, which may help employees feel safer raising issues
• improve retention^{[footnote 9]} – a better culture around women’s health may improve wellbeing^{[footnote 10]} and may help employers retain staff
• improve the use of inclusive policies – trained managers may better recommend flexible working or workplace adjustments
• create a cultural shift^{[footnote 11]} – targeted training may make an organisation more inclusive and resilient

Implementing this action

You can create your own training or buy it through a specialist provider. It should fit your organisation’s sector and culture.

The training could cover:

• how the law relates to menopause
• how symptoms can affect employees
• how to encourage employees to raise concerns
• what support and workplace adjustments you can provide

When you plan the training, you should:

• use an approach that looks at how experiences vary for different groups
• use videos of real experiences and symptoms^{[footnote 12]}
• use case studies or role play that relates to your specific workplace
• set clear targets, such as asking all managers to finish the training within 6 months
• think about sector-specific issues, like how flexible working might be harder in schools or hospitality

You could also offer training on other health conditions relating to menstrual health, such as endometriosis, PCOS and fibroids, to help managers support employees with a range of women’s health issues.

Tracking progress

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

• tracking the numbers of managers finishing the training
• surveying managers before and after training to see what they learned
• asking employees about the organisation’s approach to menopause in staff surveys
• checking if absence rates or retention levels change for women in the relevant age groups

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. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2023) Menopause in the workplace: Employee experiences in 2023. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. ↩

2. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2023) Menopause in the workplace: Employee experiences in 2023. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. ↩

3. Department of Health and Social Care (2022) Results of the ‘Women’s Health – Let’s talk about it’ survey. ↩

4. Griffiths A and others (2013) ‘Menopause and work: An electronic survey of employees’ attitudes in the UK’ Maturitas: 76(2), pages 155-159. ↩

5. Department for Work and Pensions (2025) Menopause in the Workplace. ↩

6. Beck V, Brewis J and Davies A (2020) ‘The remains of the taboo: experiences, attitudes, and knowledge about menopause in the workplace’. Climacteric, 23(2), 158-164. ↩

7. Hardy C, Griffiths A and Hunter MS (2019a) Development and evaluation of online menopause awareness training for line managers in UK organizations. Maturitas, 120, 83-89. ↩

8. Hardy C, Griffiths A and Hunter MS (2019a) Development and evaluation of online menopause awareness training for line managers in UK organizations. Maturitas, 120, 83-89. ↩

9. Griffiths A and others (2013) Menopause and work: An electronic survey of employees’ attitudes in the UK Maturitas: 76(2), pages 155-159. ↩

10. 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. ↩

11. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2023) Menstruation and support at work. ↩

12. Business in the Community (2023) Menopause in the workplace. ↩