What to include in a menopause action plan

Menopause symptoms, when left unaddressed in the workplace, are beginning to be seen as a looming retention crisis for employers.

Close to four million women aged 45-55 are currently in the UK workforce - many of them at or approaching the peak of their careers. And yet, Fertifa research has found that one in ten has left a job because of unmanaged menopause symptoms. That's not a health issue. That's a retention crisis.

The Employment Rights Act 2025 has formalised what many progressive employers were already treating as good practice. Organisations with 250 or more employees must now publish a menopause action plan that sets out specific, measurable steps to support employees through perimenopause and menopause.

Plans became voluntary in April this year and will be mandatory from spring 2027.

Here's what HR leaders need to know and do:

What is a menopause action plan?

A menopause action plan is a written, publicly accessible framework that explicitly outlines the steps an organisation will take to support employees experiencing perimenopause and menopause.

The goal of the plan is to have active accountability. It establishes menopause support as a core, structured workplace requirement and should directly aid retention and help close the senior-level gender pay gap. It must include at least one specific, measurable action, be signed off by senior leadership, and published publicly to ensure compliance.

Start with your own data

The government has published a list of recommended, evidence-based actions that employers can take to support employees experiencing menopause. Employers must select at least one action from the menopause category.

Before deciding what goes in your plan, first review your existing workplace culture, benefits, policies and data. Are women in their late forties and fifties leaving your business at a higher rate than their male peers? Are absence patterns in that demographic unexplained or climbing? Do you have a menopause policy or specific workplace support?

The answers to those questions should shape which actions you prioritise. A plan that's built around your organisation's pain points will do far more than one assembled generically.

While the law requires a minimum of one action, we strongly encourage employers to take a holistic and multi-faceted approach for best outcomes regarding employee retention, productivity and satisfaction.

Four areas to build your plan around

1. The working environment

Menopause symptoms are physical, and workplaces are often poorly set up for them. Temperature control, break rooms, desk fans, easy bathroom access, and the option to take short breaks aren't costly adjustments, but they make a material difference to daily comfort and productivity. Where uniforms are required, breathable fabrics and spare sets should be standard. Flexible working and remote options, available by default rather than on request, give employees control when symptoms are severe or appointments are needed.

2. Manager education and awareness

Managers are your frontline. They're the ones having (or avoiding!) conversations about health and performance with women in this demographic. Line manager training on menopause is a prerequisite for any plan to work in practice. Pair this with internal awareness programmes, peer support networks, and clear signposting to existing resources and policies. The goal is an environment where disclosure and discussing menopause doesn't feel professionally risky or taboo.

3. Policy and HR processes

If you don't have a menopause policy, we’d recommend putting one in place. It gives employees clarity on what support exists and gives managers a consistent framework to work from. Equally important is to make sure your absence management processes don't inadvertently penalise employees for menopause-related sickness. Triggering disciplinary or performance review procedures against someone managing a recognised health condition is both a legal risk and a cultural failure. In fact, recent employment tribunal data shows claims referencing menopause have more than tripled over the past few years, according to HM Courts & Tribunal Service data.

When these cases go to tribunal, the outcomes can hinge several questions:

Were symptoms supported before they impacted performance?
Was the support on offer visible and easy to access by employees, or was it buried in an intranet?
Did slow or ineffective handling allow a manageable situation to worsen?
Were reasonable adjustments applied, and were they applied consistently to all employees across different business areas?
Was there a failure to provide a safe working environment?
Were menopause or perimenopause symptoms treated less seriously, with jokes, banter or generalisations, than other medical conditions would have been?

Download Fertifa’s Menopause Policy Template to use as a starting point when designing your own.

4. Clinical and specialist support

Standard PMI frequently falls short for menopause care. Partnering with a dedicated menopause provider ensures your team has fast, direct access to specialist doctors, nurses, and menopause specialists.

Timely access to clinically-led care (rather than a GP appointment weeks away) matters significantly for outcomes. A comprehensive benefits package should include fast-track routes to menopause specialists, alongside support for the psychological impacts of menopause: therapy, counselling, or EAP provision that goes beyond signposting.

Ensure your plan is impactful for your people and your business

Ultimately, a truly impactful menopause action plan focuses on proactive, cultural change rather than reactive compliance.

Success looks like an organisation where clear signposting ensures employees know exactly where to go and who to ask for help, and where access to support is available early as a preventative measure, before absences or performance concerns even begin.

This requires an environment where managers are guided and supported rather than expected to diagnose or manage symptoms, and where reasonable adjustments are handled fairly and consistently across the entire business.

By embedding these practices, menopause is treated openly as a workplace health issue rather than a private matter that individuals must face alone.

The case for acting now

Waiting for the 2027 mandate is a choice, but it's not a neutral one. Organisations that move early signal something real to their workforce, to prospective hires, and to leadership.

They signal that inclusion isn't reactive compliance, it's deliberate strategy. The talent and seniority you stand to retain and the senior-level gender pay gap you'll move make the business case straightforward.

Fertifa's Menopause Policy Template is available to download as a starting point.