World Menopause Day

Today is World Menopause Day.  To mark this, ACAS has produced new guidance for managing the menopause at work, providing advice on the symptoms and potential impact of the menopause and the types of support that can be offered.  The guidance can be accessed here.

The ACAS guidance gives some helpful pointers as to the steps employers can take to help support those workers who are having difficulties at work as a result of menopause or perimenopause symptoms.  The guidance also highlights some of the risks that employers face if a worker is treated unfairly as a result of those symptoms – including claims of sex discrimination, age discrimination and disability discrimination. 

Given that currently one in eight of the British workforce are women over 50 (with this figure expected to rise), and that many of these women will have experienced menopausal or perimenopausal symptoms which affect their work, it is in the interests of employers to manage menopause in the workplace effectively and in a supportive manner.