Larger companies will be obliged to introduce policies for women experiencing the menopause, such as flexible working hours and better awareness for managers, under a Labour policy to be announced at the party’s annual conference.
The plan, to be outlined by Dawn Butler, the shadow women and equalities secretary, in a speech to the conference in Brighton, will apply to all firms with more than 250 staff, and is intended to help tackle stigma attached to the menopause.
Requirements would include ensuring flexible working, for example allowing different working hours if women’s sleep becomes disrupted during the menopause, or catering for absences due to changing health conditions.
Other ideas would be allowing breaks as needed, or rescheduling events such as presentations to fit around potential symptoms, and giving time for medical appointments.
This would be set around a wider requirement for employers to recognise that the menopause is not an illness, and thus women needing time off because of it should not be penalised by punitive absence policies.
Other changes would mean training managers about how the menopause can affect women, and what assistance they might need, as well as workplace facilities such as access to ventilation facilities and cold water.
Managers should also be trained to look for signs of women experiencing difficulties at work because of the menopause, and be able to offer help or point them to outside sources, Labour said.
Arguing for the changes, the party noted research showing that 30% of menopausal women said they had taken sick leave due to absence, but that many felt they could not tell their manager why. The same study found that 60% of working women aged 45 to 55 who were experiencing the menopause said it had had a negative impact on them.
Butler said: “This bold policy will support women experiencing the symptoms of menopause in the workplace. Together we must end the stigma and ensure that no woman is put at a disadvantage, from menstruation to menopause.
“This forms part of our plans for a workplace revolution under the next Labour government to secure equality at work. By delivering policies like this through a stand-alone women and equalities department, Labour will put equality right at the heart of government.”
The announcement also cited a report by ITV, in conjunction with the medical research charity Wellbeing of Women, which found that a quarter of women going through the menopause had considered leaving their jobs as as result.
