Maxine Brigue
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Less than one in five (18%) women report that their employer has a workplace menopause policy, according to poll results from women’s health and wellness supplement brand Serenova, published on Thursday (7 May).
After surveying 1,000 working women, researchers working for Serenova found that four in 10 (44%) feel comfortable discussing the menopause at work.
Eight in 10 (81%) respondents indicated that they believe men need greater education on menopause to better support the women in their lives.
The survey also revealed that 45% of women believe brain fog affects their work performance, alongside hot flushes (36%), anxiety (31%), and insomnia (19%).
Speaking to HR magazine, Amanda Chadwick, an employment law and employee wellbeing professional who supports the CIPD HR-inform information platform, said: “Menopause is a workplace reality, not a private matter. The Serenova findings show that many employers are still behind the curve. If only 18% of women say their workplace has a menopause policy, support remains too inconsistent.”
Helen Tomlinson, head of inclusion at recruitment business Adecco, told HR magazine that her own experience of menopause was both deeply personal and professionally transformative.
Read more: HR overestimates menopause support, data suggests
“It gave me insight into how even confident, capable women can struggle silently at work,” she said.
“Low confidence in discussing menopause, limited access to policies, and a clear call for better male education highlight both the challenge and the opportunity for HR. HR has a pivotal role in moving organisations from good intent to lived reality.”
Chadwick agreed, advising: “The best support starts with managers who are trusted with confidentiality and trained to listen, respond with confidence and offer practical adjustments without making a fuss.
“[HR should also help] build a culture where menopause is part of normal workplace conversation for all sexes, and not something people feel they have to hide until it becomes a problem.”
Maryam Meddin, founder and CEO of wellness centre The Soke, told HR magazine: “Male leaders need to see this as core business infrastructure, not a niche wellbeing benefit.”
The women affected are not early-career employees but women with decades of accumulated experience, organisational memory and leadership potential, Meddin pointed out.
She said: “Losing them isn’t just a headcount problem; it’s a skills drain and a leadership pipeline problem. If businesses want to retain that talent, men in leadership have to actively sponsor and normalise menopause policies, rather than leaving women to make the case alone.”
Read more: Government launches new gender equality guidance for employers
Menopause policies should be launched as a “cultural transformational programme” not a like a compliance update, Meddin added.
Small changes can have a meaningful impact on performance and wellbeing, Chadwick noted, adding: “Menopause policies absolutely have value, but only if they are visible, usable and trusted.
“They should be communicated clearly through manager training, internal campaigns and everyday people processes, so support is not just written down but genuinely lived across the organisation.”
Menopause policies absolutely have value so long as employers do what they say, Deborah Garlick, CEO and founder of workplace training platform Menopause Friendly, told HR magazine.
Garlick said: “[Policies] make it clear that an organisation takes menopause seriously and show employees where to find information about the support available. But policies are only a document.
“They say what an organisation does but that doesn’t mean it happens in practice. Employers need to do what they say. Policies alone do not change culture or lived experience; action does.”
To move from “good intentions” to “practical support”, Garlick advised HR leaders to upskill managers and improve access to occupational health services.
Serenova commissioned One Poll to survey 1,000 UK working women between 25 February to 2 March 2026.
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