19 Feb 2026

Menopause action plans: what employers need to do

Since menopause has moved firmly into the employment law spotlight, now is the time for employers to act.

Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers with more than 250 employees will be required to set out how they are supporting women at work, including how they support employees experiencing menopause.

For HR leaders, this marks a clear shift. Menopause support is no longer treated as a discretionary or informal area of wellbeing. It’s increasingly used as a measure of organisational readiness, fairness and risk management.

This guide explains what menopause action planning means in practice, why it matters now, and how employers can prepare, with confidence and credibility.

What is a menopause action plan?

A menopause action plan (MAP) is a clear, written framework that explains how your organisation supports employees experiencing menopause in day-to-day working life.

While the term “menopause action plan” is widely used, it’s important to be precise:

The Employment Rights Act introduces a requirement for large employers to publish equality action plans.

These plans must include the actions an employer is taking to support women in the workplace, including support during menopause.

In practice, many organisations are creating a dedicated menopause action plan as part of (or alongside) their equality action plan to ensure menopause support is clear, visible and consistently applied.

A strong menopause action plan typically covers:

Clear ownership and accountability
Guidance and training for managers
Practical, reasonable workplace adjustments
Access to appropriate health and wellbeing support
Consistent handling across teams and locations

The aim is to support employees earlier, reduce escalation, and prevent menopause symptoms from converting to absence, performance issues, grievances or attrition.

Why menopause action planning matters now

The Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a phased approach for equality action plans:

From 2026: Large employers (250+ employees) will be able to publish plans voluntarily
From 2027: Publication is expected to become mandatory, subject to further regulations and guidance

Many employers are choosing to act before the requirement comes into force to reduce risk and improve consistency now.

Menopause is already a high-risk employment issue

Menopause frequently intersects with:

Sex and age discrimination
Reasonable adjustments
Sickness absence and performance management
Retention of experienced employees

Recent employment tribunal analysis shows that claims referencing menopause have increased significantly over the past few years, reflecting how often menopause-related issues now surface in formal disputes.

As legal scrutiny increases, decisions are increasingly judged on practical questions, such as:

Were symptoms recognised and supported early?
Was support visible and accessible?
Were adjustments applied fairly and consistently?
Did informal handling or delays worsen outcomes?

Menopause action planning is quickly becoming a practical test of whether an organisation took reasonable steps, not just whether it had good intentions.

The scale of the issue

Menopause is already affecting work, whether it is formally acknowledged or not. According to UK government-referenced research:

8 in 10 menopausal women say their workplace has no basic support in place
1 in 10 women who worked during the menopause left their job due to their symptoms
A 5% increase in female employment (equivalent to halving the gender employment gap) could boost UK GDP by up to £125bn every year.

With millions of women aged 45-60 currently in work, the impact on retention, experience and organisational knowledge is significant.

At the same time, 2 in 3 employees say they are uncomfortable raising menopause at work, meaning issues often surface late, once problems have already escalated.

What good looks like in practice

A credible menopause action plan isn’t about medical expertise or over-engineering solutions. It’s about clarity, consistency and access to support.

In practice, effective plans mean:

Employees know where to go and how to ask for help
Support is available early, not only once absence or performance issues arise
Managers are supported and guided, not expected to diagnose or manage symptoms alone
Reasonable adjustments are handled fairly and transparently
Menopause is treated as a workplace health issue, not a private matter individuals must navigate alone

8 steps to help employers

These steps are not a legal checklist. They reflect what employers need in place to meet emerging expectations under the Employment Rights Act and to reduce employee relations and discrimination risk.

1: Understand where menopause risk shows up

Review absence, performance and ER cases where menopause may have been a factor
Identify where issues were raised late or handled inconsistently
Speak to managers about confidence and capability

Outcome: You understand where escalation currently happens.

2: Put clear ownership in place

Define who is responsible for menopause support (HR, People, Wellbeing)
Clarify what managers are expected to do (and what they are not)
Ensure menopause is integrated into wider health and absence frameworks

Outcome: Clear, consistent handling across the organisation.

3: Make early support easy to access

Employees should not need to disclose to multiple people to get help
Support should be confidential and available without formal escalation
Access should not rely solely on line manager confidence

Outcome: Issues are addressed before they escalate.

4: Set out reasonable adjustments clearly

Menopause adjustments should be treated like any other health-related adjustment.

Common examples include: