Friday 18th October was World Menopause Day and saw Channel 4 launch its first Menopause Policy. It’s unusual for an employer to publicly announce the launching of an internal HR policy but after years of silence, people are finally talking about menopause.

Now is therefore a good time to tackle what is only going to be an increasing issue for employers. According to a CIPD survey, women over the age of 50 are the fastest growing group in the workforce with 4.4 million women aged between 50-64 in work (and remember, menopause doesn’t only affect the over 50s!). Of those aged between 45 and 55, 59% of those experiencing menopausal symptoms say it has a negative impact on them at work and a staggering one in ten women have considered giving up work due to menopausal symptoms.

So, what can employers do to help support employees going through menopause? The obvious first step is to consider implementing a menopause policy. There is no specific legislation covering menopause but the usual disability provisions of the Equality Act 2010, the right to request flexible working and general Health & Safety legislation would still apply.

A menopause policy could include setting out some information to explain what the menopause is and the sorts of symptoms people can suffer, encouraging open conversations, committing to risk assessments and practical support including reasonable adjustments to the working environment or an individual’s role.

On a practical level, examples of adjustments that can be made would be to allow temperature control in the workplace for those suffering hot flushes, to adjust uniforms, to provide easy access to bathrooms and rest facilities and even something as simple as providing electric fans.

Employers could also consider, for example, allowing employees to adjust their working hours – for someone suffering from insomnia or other menopause related sleep issues, a later start to the working day or ensuring important meetings/presentations are scheduled for later in the day could make all the difference. Flexible working may also be helpful such as allowing a woman to work from home or to change her working hours.

The important thing to remember is that menopause impacts everyone differently and so employers need to be open to different kinds of possible adjustments based on the actual symptoms an individual is experiencing.

The other really important point is for employers to encourage open communication about menopause and raise awareness of it in the workplace so that colleagues and managers can support those going through it. Whilst not everyone is going to feel comfortable discussing what has previously been something of a taboo, the old BT advert was right- it’s good to talk!