Let's be honest. When "menopause" comes up at work, many male leaders assume it's not their conversation.
Maybe it goes to HR. Maybe it's assigned to wellbeing. Maybe it quietly disappears under "women's issues."
But if you manage people, any people, menopause is already your business. You just might not know it yet.
What the Numbers Actually Say
Menopause affects anyone with ovaries, typically between the ages of 45 and 55, though symptoms can begin years earlier during perimenopause. In the UK, women make up nearly half the workforce, and the fastest-growing working demographic is women over 50. That's a significant proportion of your team.
The symptoms aren't just hot flushes, either. We're talking about poor sleep, anxiety, brain fog, reduced concentration, joint pain, low mood, and a loss of confidence that can affect even the most capable, experienced professionals. Left unsupported, these symptoms can quietly erode performance, attendance, and retention – often without anyone naming what's actually happening.
A 2022 survey by the Fawcett Society (with Channel 4) found that one in ten women has left a job because of menopause symptoms. This means businesses face significant costs replacing experienced women, making action on menopause a clear business priority.
Why This Is Especially Relevant in Male-Dominated Sectors
Construction, manufacturing, logistics, finance, engineering, the trades – these sectors have historically underinvested in people-centred policies, partly because the conversation around menopause hasn't felt relevant.
But that's changing. Women are entering and staying in these industries in greater numbers. And in smaller teams, where one person's absence or reduced output is felt immediately, the impact of an unsupported menopause is far more visible.
The challenge is that in settings where emotional conversations rarely happen, the gap between a struggling employee and a manager who doesn't know how to help can feel enormous. That gap costs people. And it costs businesses.
The Manager's Role – Whether You're Ready for It or Not
Most managers who've had to navigate a menopause conversation at work will tell you one of two things: either they handled it badly and wished they'd known more, or they avoided it entirely and watched a good employee slowly disengage.
Neither outcome is inevitable.
When managers understand menopause, symptoms, impacts, and practical adjustments, they're better able to support staff without awkwardness or assumptions.
They also understand something crucial: that legally, employers have responsibilities here. Under the Equality Act 2010, menopause symptoms that have a long-term effect on someone's ability to do their job could constitute a disability. Tribunals related to menopause in the workplace have risen significantly in recent years. That's not a threat – it's context. Knowing where the lines are helps managers act with both compassion and confidence.
It's Not About Becoming an Expert
Good menopause training for managers is about awareness. Knowing enough to recognise when someone might be struggling. Knowing what to say (and what not to say). Understanding what realistic expectations and reasonable adjustments might look like and knowing that these conversations can be had without drama.
Most importantly, it's about developing an environment where someone doesn't have to choose between their health and their job. Where they feel confident enough to say "I'm finding things difficult at the moment" and know they'll be met with support rather than silence.
That kind of psychological safety doesn't happen by accident. It's built by leaders who take the time to understand the experiences of the people they manage – even when, especially when, those experiences differ from their own.
What Good Support Actually Looks Like
Organisations that get this right don't just retain staff. They build reputations as places where people want to stay and grow. In competitive hiring markets, that matters.
It starts with awareness training that reaches the whole organisation – not just women, not just HR, but team leaders, line managers, and senior decision-makers. The people who set the culture. The people who have conversations that either help or harm.
It also means having policies that reflect reality: flexible working provisions, a clear commitment to reasonable adjustments, and managers who've been equipped to have sensitive conversations without making a mess of them.
Here are five practical things managers can do right now:
1. Learn the basics – properly
You don't need a medical degree, but you do need more than a vague awareness that menopause exists. Understanding what perimenopause is, what symptoms can look like in a work context, and roughly when they tend to occur gives you the foundation to recognise when someone might be struggling. Brain fog isn't laziness. Fatigue isn't disengagement. Knowing the difference changes everything.
2. Create space for the conversation
Most employees won't bring it up unless they feel safe to. Regular one-to-ones, a genuinely open-door culture, and a manager who's clearly comfortable with sensitive topics all signal that it's okay to be honest. You don't need to raise it yourself, but you do need to make sure the door is open if someone wants to walk through it.
3. Ask what would help – don't assume
Menopause affects people differently. One person might need a cooler workspace or a desk near a window. Another might benefit from a later start time to account for disrupted sleep. Someone else might just need to know that if they're having a difficult day, they can say so without it being held against them. The most useful question a manager can ask is a simple one: "What would make things easier for you right now?"
4. Know your legal obligations
This isn't about being defensive; it's about being informed. Under the Equality Act 2010, failing to make reasonable adjustments could leave your organisation exposed. Managers who understand this are better placed to act appropriately and protect both their team members and the business.
5. Keep checking in
Menopause isn't a one-off conversation. Symptoms fluctuate. Someone who seemed to be managing well in January might find things harder by summer. Regular, low-pressure check-ins go a long way. It tells people they haven't been forgotten, and it catches problems before they become bigger ones.
Menopause Training With Mental Health in Business
Our upcoming Menopause in the Workplace Workshop is a two-hour accredited session delivered by Claire Russell, MHIB CEO and licensed menopause expert trainer. It covers everything from the fundamentals of perimenopause and menopause to the legal landscape, practical workplace adjustments, and how to have supportive conversations with confidence.
All organisations completing the training receive a Menopause Approved badge, recognised globally and accredited by the Menopause Experts Group, to display on their website, intranet, and communications.
Find out more at services.mhib.co.uk/menopause-workshop
Or get in touch directly at info@mhib.co.uk to reserve places for your team or discuss in-house options.
