Maxine Brigue <\/p>\n
View <\/span> articles<\/span> <\/a>
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<\/a> 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<\/a> (31%), and insomnia (19%).
Speaking to HR <\/em>magazine, Amanda Chadwick, an employment law and employee wellbeing professional who supports the CIPD HR-inform information platform, said: \u201cMenopause 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.\u201d
Helen Tomlinson, head of inclusion<\/a> at recruitment business Adecco, told HR <\/em>magazine that her own experience of menopause was both deeply personal and professionally transformative.
Read more: <\/em>HR overestimates menopause support, data suggests<\/a>
\u201cIt gave me insight into how even confident, capable women can struggle silently at work,\u201d she said.
\u201cLow 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.\u201d
Chadwick agreed, advising: \u201cThe 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.
\u201c[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.\u201d
Maryam Meddin, founder and CEO of wellness centre The Soke, told HR<\/em> magazine: \u201cMale leaders need to see this as core business infrastructure, not a niche wellbeing<\/a> benefit.\u201d
The women affected are not early-career employees but women with decades of accumulated experience, organisational memory and leadership potential<\/a>, Meddin pointed out.
She said: \u201cLosing them isn\u2019t just a headcount problem; it\u2019s 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.\u201d
Read more: <\/em>Government launches new gender equality guidance for employers<\/a>
Menopause policies<\/a> should be launched as a \u201ccultural transformational programme\u201d not a like a compliance update, Meddin added.
Small changes can have a meaningful impact on performance and wellbeing, Chadwick noted, adding: \u201cMenopause policies absolutely have value, but only if they are visible, usable and trusted.
\u201cThey should be communicated clearly through manager training<\/a>, internal campaigns and everyday people processes, so support is not just written down but genuinely lived across the organisation.\u201d
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 <\/em>magazine.
Garlick said: \u201c[Policies] make it clear that an organisation takes menopause seriously and show employees where to find information about the support available. <\/span>But policies are only a document.
\u201cThey say what an organisation does but that doesn\u2019t mean it happens in practice. Employers need to do what they say. Policies alone do not change culture or lived experience; action does.\u201d
To move from \u201cgood intentions\u201d to \u201cpractical support\u201d, Garlick advised HR leaders to upskill managers<\/a> 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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