Menopause and Employment

The Ongoing Struggle with Employers and Menopause

Menopause Forces Woman Out of Work

Menopause and employment, where this report highlighted the persistent failure of employers to adequately support women experiencing menopause, leading to unnecessary departures from the workforce. This lack of support not only deprives women of their livelihoods and sense of purpose but also exacerbates their menopause symptoms. 

Women must be protected from what Alice went through in the police force, as the BBC recently reported about a woman that had been forced to leave her job in Gloucestershire Police due to experiencing menopause symptoms. 

A police employee says she was unfairly discriminated against due to her menopause symptoms.

Alice, who asked not to use her real name, said Gloucestershire Police failed to make the necessary adjustments which would have made it easier for her to carry out her duties and threatened her with performance-monitoring measures. 

The non-uniform employee, who has since left, is calling for the police to make changes and offer greater support to women living with the menopause. 

Gloucestershire Constabulary said it “always listens to and takes seriously” employees’ concerns. 

The police force said it understands the menopause is an “important time of life which can have a huge impact on a women’s mental and physical well-being” 

Alice said the end of her time in the police force had a profound impact on her mental health, and that the police force must see what they are doing, it’s simply wrong to be treating people like this. 

Alice took up her final role with the police in 2020.  Within a year her menopause symptoms escalated, causing acute pain across her body which left her unable to carry out basic tasks such a cooking, gardening, or getting dressed on her own. 

She said she also became forgetful and suffered “brain fog.” 

These issues were raised with the line manager, she added, and she asked for the flexibility to work from home as the noise and environment of the office was making it difficult for her to do her job, but this was denied. 

Instead, she was given a leaflet on the menopause! 

Alice said things got worse in 2022 when she was threatened with having her performance monitored, despite having previously won awards for her work. 

She said her manager also told her it might be time for her to “leave the department” during an informal meeting. 

After twice taking time off sick due to stress and symptoms, she handed in her notice in 2023 despite having no job to go to. 

Alice said she felt she had no option but to leave, and claims she is still living with the emotional impact of how she was treated by the constabulary. 

“I felt like what they have done was to completely wipe me out, and the organisation really did not acknowledge what had happened and the severity of the outcome of it.” 

Menopause and Employment – The Appropriate Support 

Symptoms of the menopause vary in intensity between women, and can include low mood, loss of connection, hot flushes, trouble sleeping. Headaches and muscle aches, among others.  View more on my free resources page https://menopausestudio.co.uk/free-resource/

Menopause and employment, where research carried out by the Fawcett Society, found in 10 employed women questioned, had left the workforce due to menopause symptoms, and 8 out of 10 said their employer had not shared information, trained staff, or put in place a menopause absence policy. 

The menopause is not currently a protected characteristic under UK law, unlike age, sex, and disabilities. 

Gloucestershire Constabulary has a menopause policy which states it is “committed to ensuring appropriate support and assistance is given to workers going through the menopause or perimenopause” 

This includes considering agile working requests to change the location of where people are based. 

In a statement the force said “we run training programmes in supportive leadership and have an internal occupational health unit and well being advisers, as well as an external employee support programme, who can provide additional help and advice when requested. We encourage that records of all one-to-ones discussions are made, and we have an agile working policy that allows for flexible working arrangements including working from home where appropriate”.

While workplace menopause policies are a positive first step, they remain insufficient. Real progress requires robust implementation and a commitment to proactively supporting women through their diverse symptoms, enabling them to balance work, home, and well-being. Failing to do so only compounds the challenges women face when forced to leave their roles. 

https://menopausestudio.co.uk/free-resource-list/menopause-workplace-support-beyond-policy/

You can find the GOV UK publication on their 12-month progress report at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shattering-the-silence-about-menopause-12-month-progress-report