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Advice

NHS employers issues guidance on menopause in the workplace

The guidance includes a number of measures including recording menopause related absence and the option to apply for flexible working.

The NHS has issued its first national guidance to support employees in the workplace experiencing workplace symptoms.

The NHS employs over 1.3 million people and around 1 million of these people are women. This is over 75% of the entire workforce. Women between the ages of 45 and 54 alone make up a fifth of all NHS employees, and so up to a fifth of our workforce could be experiencing menopausal symptoms.

The guidance includes a number of measures including recording menopause-related absence and the option to apply for flexible working.

It includes advice on HR aspects such as how to record menopause-related absence, as well as practical tips for line managers on the benefits of having regular health and wellbeing conversations with their teams, and it supports them to consider any reasonable adjustments they may want to implement to support colleagues who are experiencing menopause symptoms. 

All NHS employers are encouraged to consider the guidance to ensure:

  • they have a better understanding of what menopause is
  • they have key information on how to support people to have open and receptive conversations
  • they are much better equipped to support staff managing the effects of the menopause transition at work.

We have a dedicated team of employment solicitors who specialise in HR issues in the health sector. Contact our healthcare lawyers for further information.