Being a menopause friendly employer

09/07/2025

Every practice wants to get the best from everyone in their team but all too often the story of women who are going through the menopause is one of wasted potential.

According to a report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), 67% of working women aged 40–60 who had experience of menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes or reduced concentration said they have had a mostly negative effect on them at work and half could think of a time when they had been unable to go into work due to their symptoms. Another survey by Simplyhealth found that 23% of working women had considered leaving their job because of menopause and menstrual health symptoms and 87% wanted their employer to be more supportive about women’s health.

By understanding the impact that the menopause can have on the women in your practice and making some small adjustments you can ensure they feel valued, increase productivity and improve staff retention.

What can go wrong?

Employers can be taken to an employment tribunal for discriminating against staff because of menopause symptoms and an analysis of HM Courts and Tribunal Services, showed such claims rose sharply from 64 in 2022 to 204 in 2024.

This follows the case of social worker, Maria Rooney, who sued Leicester City Council after resigning from her job, alleging that her employer had treated her unfairly despite being informed that she was experiencing menopause symptoms. An Employment Appeal Tribunal eventually ruled that the symptoms could amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010 and sent the case back to the fresh tribunal in October 2023 where she was supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

As well as the potential for adverse publicity, losing at an employment tribunal could be costly. In June 2024 for example, a teacher in Scotland who was awarded more than £60,000 for unfair dismissal after her health concerns were ignored during a dispute about a move to another school.

Regulations, standards and resources

The Rooney case prompted many organisations to produce guidance for employers on menopause in the workplace. Here are some of the most relevant for healthcare professionals:

Menopause in the workplace: Guidance for employers from the Equality and Human Rights Commission includes advice on reasonable adjustments that you can make to support affected staff. It was updated in February 2025.

NHS England’s Supporting our NHS people through menopause: guidance for line managers and colleagues includes a checklist for managers while NHS Inform in Scotland has general guidance for employees and managers.

ACAS covers Menopause at Work within its health and wellbeing at work guidance.

The CIPD’s Menopause at work guidance is aimed at HT professionals and was produced in partnership with Bupa.

The GMC doesn’t specifically refer to menopause in their professional standards guidance but it does emphasise the importance of treating staff with respect. Domain 3 of Good Medical Practice focuses on ‘colleagues, culture and safety’ including the need to “be compassionate towards colleagues who have problems with their performance or health” and contribute to a positive working environment. The GDC covers effective management and leadership skills for managers under Principle 6 of Standards for the Dental Team including the need to prevent discrimination in the work environment.

MDUConnect members can call our 24-hour employment law advice line to talk to an expert about your responsibilities concerning menopause support and health and safety at work.

MDU advice

These tips will help you become a menopause friendly employer.

Foster an open and empathetic workplace culture where staff feel able to talk about what they are going through and colleagues understand why they might be struggling on a bad day. Don’t ignore dismissive attitudes or derogatory comments by others in the team as this could constitute discrimination.

Have a menopause policy which includes information about the menopause and symptoms and sets out the support available for those affected and ensure this dovetails with existing policies on areas like absence management and dress codes. Publicise the policy to all staff.

Appoint a senior member of the practice to raise awareness of the menopause, organise events, oversee staff training and arrange support. You may already have a health and wellbeing support manager who could take on this role.

Signpost affected staff to resources where they can access guidance on self-care and additional support such as the Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) or the NHS website

Check what reasonable adjustments you can make to support affected staff. These might include flexible working arrangements, creating a more comfortable working environment with fans/air conditioning, time off for medical appointments and regular welfare meetings. Bear in mind that they might feel more comfortable discussing their symptoms with another woman and respect their privacy if they don’t want to talk.

Consider if the menopause might be a factor when concerns are raised about someone’s performance, capability or extended absences, especially if this marks a deterioration. An informal discussion could pre-empt the need for disciplinary proceedings and help ensure staff feel fairly treated.

As an MDUConnect policy holder, you and your team have access to expert medico-legal and dento-legal guidance and support.
We encourage you to address issues early to pre-empt problems, so contact us for specific advice or explore our resources.

This page was correct at publication on 1st July 2025. Any guidance is intended as general guidance for members only. If you are a member and need specific advice relating to your own circumstances, please contact one of our advisers.