Standards body publishes new menopause guidance for workplaces

The British Standards Institute (BSI), the UK National Standards Body, has published a new guidance designed to help organisations support employees experiencing menopause or menstruation and better enable them to retain experienced and talented people of all ages.

The menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard (BS 30416) sets out practical recommendations for workplace adjustments, as well as strategies to sit alongside existing well-being initiatives, to help organisations meet the needs of employees experiencing menopause or menstruation.

The standard follows Fawcett Society research suggesting an estimated 10 per cent of women experiencing menopause have left the workforce due to their symptoms, which can range from hot flushes to dizziness, insomnia, muscle and joint stiffness, going up to 25 per cent for those with more severe symptoms.

“Many employers want to better support people experiencing menstruation and menopause, but they may face a lack of knowledge of how to do so,” commented Anne Hayes, director of sectors at BSI.

“The recommendations are designed to address some of the broad challenges and offer practical adjustments to help all colleagues continue to feel valued, motivated and able to remain in the workforce for longer.”

The recommendations include workplaces considering whether there is a general awareness of menstruation and menopause in its culture and whether employees have opportunities for open conversations or to request support. Suitable training for line managers and HR managers, reviewing the workplace environment to include facilities such as quiet recovery spaces or discreet changing rooms and options for flexible working are also among the guidance.

Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the new standard.

“Women make up more than half of Usdaw’s members and activists and over half of the UK workforce. The majority of women have periods and will experience the menopause at some point in their lives, and not necessarily in their late forties or early fifties,” Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said.

“Despite a growing recognition among employers and policy makers that women’s health is a workplace health and safety issue, too few women are receiving the right support at work. So this British Standards Institute guidance is to be welcomed as a step in the right direction.”

Lillis has called for menopause related absence to be counted separately and be discounted in disciplinary and other employment decisions.

“We continue to campaign in workplaces to support women members to recognise and feel able to discuss their menopause and period symptoms in the workplace and equip reps with the tools they need to open up conversations at work,” he said.