As World Menopause Day approaches, many HR teams put in great effort to show their support, often through a LinkedIn post or by sharing symptom leaflets. While these actions are well intentioned, they can sometimes miss the opportunity to create meaningful and lasting change.

The good news is that supporting menopause in the workplace does not have to be complicated. That is why we have created a simple and practical guide to help you raise awareness in a way that is impactful, relevant and truly supportive.

To understand why menopause awareness matters, it's important to recognise its wide-reaching impact, both in the workplace and beyond. You may be looking for ways to create a more menopause-friendly environment and support meaningful change across your organisation. This topic might also be personally relevant to you, you could be experiencing menopause yourself, expecting to in the future, or supporting a colleague, friend or loved one who is going through it.

You are probably already familiar with some of the more common menopausal symptoms, such as hot flushes (sometime called hot flashes) and sleep disturbances. However, many people are unaware of the wide range of symptoms that can be complex, unpredictable, and for some, extremely uncomfortable to manage. Women in your organisation may be facing any number of these symptoms on any given day, often while continuing to perform demanding roles.

To put this into perspective, your colleagues could be experiencing any or several of the following symptoms at the same time:

• Hot flushes: Sudden, intense heat often accompanied with intense sweating which is very disruptive to daily life and sleep
• Night sweats:  Hot flashes during sleep, often leading to poor sleep quality
• Sleep disturbances or insomnia: Trouble falling or staying asleep, worsened by other symptoms
• Mood swings, irritability and anxiety: Emotional ups and downs, often without a clear trigger
• Vaginal dryness and discomfort during sex: Can lead to pain, infections, and reduced libido
• Brain fog or trouble concentrating: Memory lapses or difficulty focusing on tasks
• Fatigue: Persistent tiredness not always improved by rest
• Weight gain, especially abdominal: Hormonal shifts make it harder to maintain weight
• Decreased libido: Loss of sexual desire, often linked with hormonal and emotional changes
• Joint and muscle aches: New or worsening stiffness, soreness, or pain without injury

It is important to remember that menopause is not simply an issue affecting older women. Assuming that the solution is to quietly let go of or overlook older female employees is not only misguided, it is a clear example of ageism in action. In reality, menopause can begin much earlier than many expect, with 50 percent of women experiencing symptoms in their thirties, it affects more of your workforce than you might realise.

To put the impact into perspective, here are some revealing statistics that highlight how menopause can affect both your people and your organisation:

• Employers are losing around one in six employees due to a lack of menopause support
• One in ten people have faced disciplinary action as a result of the impact of their symptoms
• More than ten percent of employees feel discriminated against because of their menopausal symptoms
• Around 25 percent of women experience severe menopause symptoms
• Menopause symptoms last for an average of seven years
• 83 percent of menopausal women report having no access to support at work
• One in ten women who worked during menopause have left a job due to their symptoms

These figures make it even clearer that menopause and menopausal symptoms are a serious workplace issue. Addressing it with empathy, awareness and practical support is not only the right thing to do, but also vital for staff retention, wellbeing and overall organisational health. Here are eight ways you can help to raise awareness in the workplace for World Menopause Day and beyond.

1. Host an educational webinar or lunch & learn session

It can often feel difficult to know where to begin when raising awareness about a subject like menopause. No one wants their efforts to come across as performative or simply a tick-box exercise. What really matters is that your actions lead to genuine, lasting change for your people. The good news is that when you do this well, the benefits go far beyond individual wellbeing, your organisation will feel the positive impact too.

One accessible and effective way to begin is by organising a live webinar or in-person session with a menopause specialist, workplace wellbeing consultant or healthcare professional. These sessions offer a valuable opportunity to educate your workforce about common symptoms, the potential impact on physical and mental health, and how menopause can impact day-to-day performance at work. As an employer, you are also creating a safe and trustworthy space where people can ask questions and share their own experiences, all within the context of their working lives.

It’s important to keep in mind that while World Menopause Day is just one day in the year, menopause itself, and the many symptoms it can bring, is a daily reality for many women, including those who walk through your office doors every week. That is why World Menopause Day should be seen not just as a moment for awareness, but as a prompt for longer-term change, because real impact comes from embedding support into your culture all year round.

This August, we’re hosting a webinar titled ‘Beyond World Menopause Day: How to put together a menopause programme that will support your employees all year round.’ The session will explore:

·       The essential components of a gold-standard menopause support programme

·       Strategies for training managers and HR teams on best practice approaches

·       The long-term organisational benefits of investing in menopause support

If you are looking for ideas on how to structure your own awareness session or programme, this is a great place to start. You will also hear many of the common questions employees have, which can help guide your own workplace policy, making sure it reflects what your people genuinely need. You can register here.

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2. Launch a Menopause Awareness Campaign

Another effective way to raise awareness in the lead-up to Menopause Awareness Day is to plan a dedicated internal campaign. This approach shows genuine thought and commitment to improving the professional lives of those facing menopause-related challenges, rather than relying on a single LinkedIn post on the day itself.

Your campaign can be simple. It might include sharing infographics, statistics, educational articles, myth-busting content and staff stories (where they feel comfortable), as well as using emails, internal social platforms and your companies social media.

It is important to ensure your messaging aligns with your company’s voice and connects with broader themes, such as breaking the stigma around menopause, raising awareness in the workplace and promoting overall health and well-being at work.

Manager training and actively involving men in the conversation are key steps in creating a truly inclusive workplace culture. This type of visual content, combined with real-life stories, often resonates strongly with people. It can help normalise conversations about menopause among all genders and ensure it is never reduced to being seen only as a women’s issue.

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3. Create or Promote a Menopause Workplace Policy

The lead-up to World Menopause Day is a great opportunity to pause and reflect on what your company currently offers, and to introduce or update your menopause policy. If you don't already have one and aren't sure where to begin, download our free Menopause Policy Template to use as a basis for your own.

A clear policy shows a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing and helps encourage open communication. It should include provisions such as flexible working, reasonable adjustments, access to occupational health, and menopause-related sick leave where needed, to help people on their menopause journey.

It is important to remember that a policy is only effective if people are aware of it, so make sure to share it widely. If you have employee resource groups, these are ideal spaces to circulate the policy and make staff aware of the support available to them.

When it comes to menopause, some individuals may worry that asking for help will be seen as a sign of weakness or poor performance. They might fear it will suggest they are struggling or not as productive as others. Therefore, to truly become a menopause friendly employer, you need to make support easily accessible without the need for someone to actively seek it out. It helps ensure that anyone facing menopause-related challenges feels safe, understood and properly supported at work.

‍4. Provide Practical Menopause Toolkits and Resources for Managers and Employees

A workplace culture that promotes openness and inclusivity is often shaped by the attitudes and actions of managers and line managers. This is why training and practical resources that support understanding of women's health challenges, especially menopause, are so important. Equipping your workplace with well-designed menopause toolkits is a vital step towards creating an environment where both employees and managers feel informed, confident and supported.

These toolkits should be straightforward, accessible, and tailored to suit different needs. For managers, include clear guidance on how to approach sensitive conversations with empathy and discretion, as well as templates for documenting workplace adjustments. You might also include symptom lists that highlight how experiences can vary from person to person, along with signposts to internal support and external resources such as medical or occupational health services and a section about language and how to approach personal conversations about menopause in the workplace.

For employees, the toolkit could feature symptom tracking templates, self-care ideas, and practical information about what support is available within your organisation. This may include details of flexible working options, mental health support, menopause-related leave and your company’s broader policies. Providing links to trusted medical or wellbeing resources is also important, especially for those who may be facing their symptoms for the first time.

By making these resources available and visible, you are helping to normalise menopause as a topic that belongs in workplace conversations. More importantly, you are giving your teams the tools, confidence and structure they need to approach it with sensitivity and respect.

Ultimately, these actions signal a commitment to the wellbeing of all employees and contribute to building a workplace where no one feels they have to suffer in silence. When menopause is openly recognised and actively supported, everyone benefits, not just those directly affected.

5. Build a Menopause Support Community in Your Workplace

Alongside structured toolkits and formal policies, it is equally important to focus on community-building initiatives that establish a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for employees experiencing menopause, helping to improve their quality of life.

Creating a menopause staff network or employee support group can be a powerful way to bring people together. These spaces allow colleagues to share experiences, exchange coping strategies and offer encouragement to one another. These support communities can take various forms, depending on your organisation’s needs and culture. They might include regular drop-in sessions, informal coffee mornings, moderated online forums or even a simple group chat. The key is to provide a consistent, welcoming space where people feel seen, heard and supported.

The aim of these communities is to help reduce stigma, encourage open conversation and show employees that they are not facing menopause alone. This sense of connection can make a real difference to how individuals manage their symptoms, how supported they feel at work, and fundamentally boosts employee performance and employee retention.

HR teams can also strengthen this support by appointing menopause champions or peer supporters across different departments. These individuals can act as approachable, local points of contact for information, guidance or simply a listening ear. They do not need to be medical experts, just trained, empathetic colleagues who can help direct others to the right resources or support when it is needed most.

A Menopause Employment Champion or a Menopause Ambassador can also play a key role in keeping the conversation going across the business, helping to normalise the topic, influence policy and promote a more open, informed workplace culture. If you are interested in learning more about what a Menopause Ambassador or a Menopause Employment Champion does and how to introduce the role in your organisation, read our full article on the topic here.

When people feel safe to speak up and supported to seek help, it not only improves individual wellbeing but also builds a stronger, more inclusive workplace for everyone.

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6. Highlight Relevant Employee Health Benefits

Have a look at what benefits your organisation provides to support employees going through menopause. This could include access to GPs, counselling services, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) through private healthcare, mental health support or wellbeing apps.

Change does not need to happen all at once. Small, incremental improvements can build over time to make a meaningful difference. The only real misstep is doing nothing at all; that’s when employees are left feeling unsupported and unseen.

This information must be easy to find, clearly communicated and regularly highlighted so employees know what help is available when they need it most. Too often, valuable benefits go unused simply because people are unaware they exist or unsure how to access them.

This matters more than ever, with two-thirds (67%) of women who have experienced menopausal symptoms report that these have had a mostly negative impact on them at work. Providing practical, visible support that helps people manage both their health and their professional responsibilities is vital.

By ensuring your benefits are accessible and relevant, you can demonstrate a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing and help reduce the challenges menopause can present in the workplace.

7. Share Staff Testimonials or Personal Stories

Encourage staff members who feel comfortable to share their experiences of managing menopause at work, these real-life stories can help to humanise the topic and play a powerful role in breaking the taboo around menopause in the workplace.

These stories could be shared in a variety of formats, such as blog posts, short videos, posters or internal articles. Always ensure anonymity is protected if requested, and offer clear guidance on how contributions will be used so everyone is on the same page.

Storytelling not only promotes inclusivity but also helps others feel less alone in their experiences. With over half of menopausal women reporting that they have been unable to go into work at some point due to their symptoms, sharing personal menopause stories and employee experiences can play a vital role in normalising the conversation. These stories not only foster greater understanding and support but also help to highlight where changes are needed and what provisions should be put in place to address this issue effectively.

8. Provide Menopause-Friendly Facilities and Office Adjustments

It is essential that workplaces are properly equipped to support people experiencing menopause symptoms, this should never be something individuals are left to manage alone. Research shows that 84 percent of those who do not feel supported say their menopause symptoms have a mostly negative impact on them at work, in comparison, this figure drops to 71 percent among those who do feel supported. Even small changes in the workplace can make a significant difference to those affected.

Support might include practical adjustments such as providing access to fans or cooler spaces, flexible uniform options, improved toilet facilities or hydration stations. You could also consider creating quiet areas where staff can rest or take a moment to reflect when needed.

Overall, it is crucial for workplaces to foster inclusive and supportive environments that prioritise employee wellbeing through comprehensive reproductive health benefits that include menopause support. When menopause is left unaddressed, the impact can be significant, not only for the individuals experiencing it, but also for the organisations that fail to act on it.

Making gradual, meaningful changes to your policies, workplace culture and support structures is the most effective way to prepare for World Menopause Awareness Day and, more importantly, to create lasting and positive change for the long term 💜