Landmark guidance has been announced by the British Standards Institute (“BSI”), the UK’s national standards body which aims to implement a new workplace standard to help organisations better support employees who are experiencing symptoms of menopause or menstruation.

The new guidance, which has been developed following consultations with the public and input from large organisations such as UNISON, ACAS, LGBT Foundation and Endometriosis UK, sets out practical guidelines in relation to workplace adjustments and promotes strategies that will enable businesses to address the needs of those who experience menopause or menstruation during their employment.

The announcement follows the Government’s response earlier in the year to the Women and Equalities Committee’s report on ‘Menopause and the Workplace’, in which it rejected 5 of the 12 proposals made in an effort to further progress women’s health in the workplace. Since then, there have been developments as the Government has established a UK Menopause Taskforce, as well as appointing a Menopause Employment Champion to work with businesses and raise awareness on menopause. The issue of women’s health however continues to still be an increasingly important topic, particularly within the workplace.

Statistics on Menopause in the UK

Over the last few years, menstruation and menopause have both become increasingly prominent topics within both public and political discourse. Studies have shown that the average age women in the UK reach the menopause is 51, however there are also around one in one hundred women who will experience menopause before the age of 40.

The symptoms of menopause and perimenopause are wide-ranging and can have a significant impact on the daily lives of those who experience it. Symptoms can last for a number of years, and include things such as fatigue, anxiety, hot flushes, problems with memory or concentration, low mood or self esteem and muscle and/or joint pain.

Research conducted by the Fawcett Society also found that on estimate, around 10% of women experiencing menopause had left work as a result of the impact that the symptoms had on them. Further, as there are around 4.5 million women employed across the UK aged around 50-64, not only are women of the menopausal age becoming the most rapidly growing group within the workforce, but they are also remaining in employment for longer than ever before. The new workplace standards are therefore designed to help organisations retain employees and prevent the loss of those impacted by the effects of menstruation or menopause, particularly when they are at the peak of their careers.

What is the new standard?

The guidance aims to provide examples of good practice for employers, specifically in relation to workplace policies, culture and design. The new standard has also been developed to help tackle misconceptions that are often held around menstruation and menopause and the impact that stigma around these topics can have on the level of support that employees receive in respect of this in the workplace.

The guidance proposes the following steps which employers should consider:

• Training for managers and HR personnel to ensure that they are aware of and understand the potential impact of menstruation and menopause.
• Ensuring that there is a provision of suitable and accessible facilities for employees in the workplace.
• Use of non-stigmatising language such as ‘menstrual products’ instead of ‘feminine hygiene products’.
• Ensuring that workplace policies (i.e. sickness and absence, flexible working etc.) consider menstruation and menopause.
• Assessing whether flexibility can be enabled within the work design to enable adjustments to be made such as comfort adjustments, changes to scheduling or timings of breaks.

Through the abovementioned suggestions, the guidance promotes the importance of creating an inclusive environment in the workplace, and the need to raise awareness about women’s health to ensure that women can be adequately supported and ultimately retained within their jobs.

Whilst the introduction of this guidance is another step towards championing women’s health and equality in the workplace, it has been found by the BSI that only a small number of organisations have already introduced policies on menopause and menstruation. Employers should take the opportunity to be proactive in addressing the challenges that employees face and look to consider how they can implement change in the workplace to provide support.

This blog was co-authored by Lydia Lambert.