Employers will be required to produce action plans to support the wellbeing of staff going through the menopause under new plans announced by Labour today.
The Party has pledged to bring in a new requirement for large firms to publish and implement Menopause Action Plans.
The action plans will detail how the company will support women going through menopause, and could include policies such as paid time off, uniform alterations or temperature control.
The move comes as research shows that one in 10 women left their jobs due to menopausal symptoms in 2022. The latest ONS Labour Market Statistics show that almost a third (31.7%) of women aged 50-64 were economically inactive.
Deputy Leader Angela Rayner said the policy was a “simple and effective way” to “improve productivity, keep more people in work and ultimately grow our economy for all”. Anneliese Dodds hailed the move as “a vital step forward” in supporting women to stay in work or to return to the workforce.
Ahead of the Budget in March, Labour said the plans would help get more people into work that suited their skills and experience, tackling high levels of inactivity and boosting economic growth.
The policy will require employers with more than 250 employees to publish plans and communicate their menopause policies with their staff. The process will be simple and easy with employers required to submit their plans annually to the existing Government portal used already for gender pay gap reporting.
Many UK businesses are already taking steps in this space. For example, in 2022 Tesco introduced a menopause-friendly uniform and started offering their staff time off due to menopause. In addition, Nationwide Building Society, Sainsbury’s, PwC and Santander have all signed up to the Menopause Workplace Pledge.
Ahead of International Women’s Day, this latest policy builds on commitments from Labour to support women at work. Through its New Deal for Working Women, Labour has pledged to end the gender pay gap, change the culture around family-friendly working and tackle harassment at work. [6]
Rachel Hopkins MP, Member of Parliament for Luton South said:
“Thousands of women are struggling at work due to perimenopausal symptoms, while women in their mid-life make up a large proportion of people who are out of work. This is bad for these women, their employers and the economy.
As part of our commitment to support women experiencing menopause, the next Labour government will help businesses to support their employees going through the menopause at work. This also builds on our commitments in our New Deal for Working People to make Britain work for working women.
Labour is on the side of women and business.”