Most organizations have menopause support tools already in place — just adapt them, expert says
To help business leaders, HR professionals, and managers better accommodate employees experiencing menopause and menstruation, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has launched its first-ever occupational health and safety standard on the subject: ISO 45010.
The standard highlights that menstruation and menopause can have a significant effect on workers when working conditions include unsuitable facilities and a lack of understanding — contributing to challenges such as presenteeism, absenteeism, disengagement, and, ultimately, turnover.
“We don’t necessarily have policies in place, or guidance, or training for people to understand that all these amazing women doing incredible work are also managing all of this — out of view, out of sight,” says Lauren Chiren, founder of Women of a Certain Stage in the United Kingdom . “If we could just make things a little bit easier and accommodate that in some way, shape, or form, that already amazing performance could be even higher.”
Chiren, says the cost of overlooking proper accommodation goes beyond morale. She sits on both the ISO and British Standards Institution (BSI) committees that the standard draws its research from.
“The cost to recruit someone else, and the cost to upskill them and embed them in the team — that starts to become somewhere between 50 to 60 per cent of someone’s salary, all the way up to 200–220 per cent of someone’s salary,” Chiren says. “That’s a significant amount of money if someone is on a multi-six-figure package.”
Building a culture where women can ask for help
The standard identifies four key questions organizations should consider when assessing their readiness to develop their own policies around menopause and menstruation in the workplace. Those are:
-
whether there are formal or recognized processes workers can access to raise questions or concerns
-
; whether managers have the guidance and tools needed to support workers
-
; whether awareness and access training is available for all employees
-
; and whether workplace adjustments are available for those experiencing symptoms.
For Chiren, one of the most important things organizations are missing today is creating a culture where these conversations can happen.
“The best thing we can do is create environments where people feel safe to ask for help and support, and don’t feel worried about being seen as weak or vulnerable or incapable of doing their jobs,” she says.
Starting with a menopause policy audit
When it comes to developing these policies that does not necessarily mean new costs. The ISO recommends reviewing existing support first — looking at what is already in place and how it can be adapted and improved before anything new is introduced.
“Every organization usually has something already in place — but they may not know it, because of how it’s been communicated. They might have an employee assistance program, private medical, or other benefits available to people,” Chiren says.
When she works with organizations, the process always starts with an audit of what already exists across areas like wellbeing and diversity and inclusion.
“Perhaps menstruation and menopause just need to be added to an existing section in the employee handbook,” she says. “We try to fit it within existing learning and development plans, existing training schedules, and existing employee resource groups — because those groups are often a great way to get the message out to the broader population.
How HR can lead on menopause and menstrual health support
The ISO also highlights the importance of equipping HR with a toolkit to assist and accommodate workers.
“HR are people risk partners in the business — they’re making sure everything is all right, that the best possible people are working at their best performance, and they have to risk-assess the people they’re bringing into the organization,” Chiren says.
That work, she adds, can start right at the beginning — with the way HR reviews job design and person specifications through an inclusivity lens, assessing whether a role works for someone who may experience fluctuations in their monthly cycle or who is going through perimenopause to post- menopause.
“Or someone who is disabled or has ADHD — when they go through their monthly cycle or menopause, their symptoms could be exacerbated,” she adds.
And it does not stop at job design. That lens needs to carry through the entire recruitment process and into how a company brings people on board — from what is in the company handbook on day one to whether menopause is part of the conversation when someone joins.
“Are we talking about menopause? Is it in the company handbook? Are we setting up safe spaces where people can discuss this?” she says.
Line managers and occupational health professionals also need to be equipped, so that workers struggling with menstrual health or menopause symptoms have somewhere to turn.
The ISO recommends organizations designate a specific representative — a trained menopause champion or women’s health champion — to not only hold those conversations, but to connect workers to the right support pathways.
For most organizations, the barrier is not resources — it is knowing where to start, Chiren says. The 45010 offers that starting point, and the changes it calls for do not have to be overwhelming.
“It’s about using what organizations already have and enhancing it, so it doesn’t feel like a burden or something additional they have to take on,” she adds.
