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April 2026.

Dr Ben writes a new Blog at the start of every month for our Man Shed section.

Menopause in the Workplace: It’s Time to Make a Plan

All employers in the UK will be keenly aware this month that new Government legislation is currently being introduced that will legally affect women in the workplace, including with regards to menopause.

The landmark Employment Rights Act 2025 requires all employers with 250 employees or more to publish Equality Action Plans, outlining actions they are taking to close the gender pay gap and provide menopause support.

From this April, these larger employers should now voluntarily start publishing their Plan. And in one year’s time, from next spring (2027), this all becomes mandatory.

As well as levelling up the gender pay gap, the new Government initiative, is designed to help women in the workplace with health issues arising from menopause and perimenopause, issues which could be affecting their ability to engage and thrive whilst working.

As many professions have become more equal in their workforce gender-split in recent years, women have increasingly been finding that, in their previously male-dominated sectors, little or no reasonable adjustment was made for changes they go through in perimenopause and menopause.

Women were not always supported and were often disadvantaged. This new Government legislation plans to change that inequality and make menopause policies mandatory.

‘Be the man who goes the extra mile’

If you’re a man in a position of responsibility in the workplace, it’s important to support the women in your teams and this legislation is your opportunity to be the one who goes the extra mile to ensure that women’s needs are met.

If some of your female colleagues or employees are struggling with health issues relating to perimenopause or menopause, you’ll be aware that this could affect both their wellbeing and their performance.

At home, you may wish to encourage your partner to speak up in their workplace now that this new legislation is coming in.

You might wish to advocate for her to make use of the new provisions that these policies will provide, so that her needs can better be met at work. You can share conversations with her at home to ensure that she is not missing out at work on what may be available through her employer’s new Equality Action Plan. These Plans must cover menopause support action in the workplace.

To make it easier for employers to draw up a Plan, the Government has published a list of 18 recommended actions that business and organisations can take. These broadly fall into a handful of main areas:

Recruiting staff

When recruiting staff, employers should demonstrate that they are not showing any unconscious bias when assessing incoming CVs. Instead, they should adopt an inclusive approach and consider diverse candidates. When recruiting, applications should be encouraged from a wide range of candidates. You may also wish to encourage the removal of gender altogether from this selection process.

Developing and promoting staff

Traditionally, some women may have been overlooked for a promotion and their skills and development may have been neglected in the past. Employers’ new Plans should now consider any eligible employee for promotion automatically. It’s important to also offer mentorship and consider any employee, regardless of gender, for promotion, where eligible.

Building diversity in your organisation

Organisations may choose to set a target to improve their gender representation, one that’s more in line with the current UK population. According to latest figures, the UK population is approximately 50.7% female, with 49.3% male.

Increasing transparency at work

The gender pay gap has been widely talked about in society and reported by the media. This thorny issue is now beginning to be addressed by many companies. It’s important to have transparency on pay, rewards and promotion, to ensure that employers are not being biased against any gender, and also to enhance and promote flexible working and leave policies, say the Government.

Supporting women with health conditions including menopause

Recently, employers have been encouraged to appoint Menopause Champions in the workplace to help better support female employees and also to educate managers. It is important too to facilitate occupational health advice for women suffering from menopause and related health issues in the workplace.

At my own workplace, we are currently working to incorporate some of these improvements and have begun to reap the benefits. In the corporate sector, we regularly offer experienced guidance and practical support, working closely with companies and directors who seek to provide a holistic healthcare plan for their employees and teams.

This allows them to provide for all their staff needs, including support for female employees who are going through menopause. So, in my view, this Government legislation is practical, timely and to be warmly welcomed.

If you’ve got a question for Our Man in The Man Shed Dr Ben Sinclair, you can email him on drben@menopausematters.co.uk

Welcome to The Man Shed and I’m delighted to be your man in it!

My name is Dr Ben Sinclair (please just call me ‘Dr Ben’, everyone does), and I’ve been a GP for nearly 20 years. Bear with me a sec while I shift these spare paint tins and get my laptop set up…

If you’ve got a question for Our Man in The Man Shed, Dr Ben Sinclair, you can email him on:
drben@menopausematters.co.uk.

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