Why Business Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore Menopause Action

The UK government’s move to introduce menopause action plans as part of the Employment Rights Bill is going to be a reality check for business leaders. For years, menopause has hovered at the edges of workplace wellbeing conversations, acknowledged but rarely integrated into wider business planning. That’s about to change.

A Wake-Up Call for Employers

Under the government’s proposal, large organisations (250+ employees) will be expected to publish Women’s Health Action Plans by 2027, with menopause support forming a key part of these reports.

While the deadline is still a couple of years away, there is a clear shift from a “nice to address” wellbeing topic to something businesses will be expected to tackle transparently.

The change reflects a problem that’s long been easy to overlook as millions of mid-career women manage menopause symptoms alongside major work responsibilities.

To give some examples, the studies and research from this 2025 Menopause Wellbeing Guide by Heat Holders found that 85% of menopausal women struggle with sleep and three-quarters have issues with temperature regulation, both of which directly affect focus and comfort. These issues are just a couple of examples of the symptoms that can affect menopausal women at work, and ultimately, if they go unsupported, the impact will be seen in everything from productivity, to employee absence and possibly retention problems.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

The misconception that menopause is a purely personal issue has been expensive, with one source estimating that menopause symptoms cost the UK economy around £1.88 billion a year in lost productivity, rising to £2.7 billion when women aged 40–64 are included.

When symptoms aren’t recognised or discussed, they’re often misread as performance issues, disengagement, or inconsistency. Many women don’t feel comfortable raising what they’re experiencing, which is why so many suffer in silence or quietly step back from progression opportunities.

This is causing a growing number of women to simply leave; some temporarily, others permanently. While the hidden costs of losing experienced staff in their 40s and 50s is a drain on institutional knowledge, increased recruitment costs and wider gender gaps at senior levels.

Why This Matters for Business, Not Just HR

The forthcoming legislation places responsibility squarely on employers, and not just on HR teams. That means revisiting core policies and thinking more broadly about working conditions:

• Flexibility: Hybrid options, adjusted hours and autonomy over work patterns.
• Workplace environment: Temperature control, ventilation, quiet spaces and comfortable clothing policies.
• Training: Helping managers recognise symptoms and respond appropriately.
• Clear reporting routes: So women don’t feel penalised for asking for support.

Notice these aren’t costly interventions or sweeping policy reforms, but rather culture-shaping changes.

A Cultural Shift Businesses Need to Lead

One of the biggest takeaways is how leadership visibility matters, because if menopause continues to be treated as a private inconvenience, nothing changes.

When senior leaders openly support menopause initiatives or lead from the front, the stigma drops, conversations become normal, and the workplace becomes safer for women to speak up before problems escalate.

And with legal requirements on the horizon, early adopters will be in a far stronger position than those scrambling at the last minute. It won’t just make compliance smoother; it will also give a competitive advantage.

The Bottom Line

Menopause has been overlooked in workplace design, culture and policy for too long, and the organisational cost has been immense. Businesses that act now, rather than when legislation forces them to, will retain more talent, reduce avoidable absence and create workplaces that genuinely work for half the population.