Policy, Risk Assessments & Reasonable Adjustments
Policy, risk assessments and reasonable adjustments move organisations beyond awareness and into practical, day-to-day changes that directly shape how people experience work.
Government guidance now makes it clear that employers are expected to assess how the workplace may be affecting employees experiencing menopause, and take action to reduce that impact.
At the same time, organisations are being encouraged to offer adjustments that reflect individual needs, rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.
For many organisations, this is the gap.
Awareness has increased.
Policies exist.
But employees are still working in environments that make symptoms harder to manage, with no clear route to request support or have adjustments put in place.
This is where confidence drops, performance is affected, and experienced talent begins to step back or leave.
Menopause Policy
A good menopause policy should make it easier for people to know what support exists, how to access it and what they can expect from their organisation when menopause begins to affect them at work.
I work with organisations at different stages. You may need a menopause policy written from scratch, want menopause incorporated properly into an existing wellbeing, inclusion or people policy, or already have a standalone policy that needs reviewing and strengthening.
Whichever approach is right for your organisation, the aim is to create something that reflects how you actually want menopause to be handled in practice. That means clear responsibilities, realistic routes to support, guidance around conversations and adjustments, and language that employees and managers can genuinely understand and use.
Where a policy already exists, I can review it to identify gaps, outdated language or areas where expectations are unclear, then recommend and make the changes needed to bring it in line with your wider menopause approach.
The result should be a policy that gives people confidence about what happens next when someone asks for help, rather than a document that simply demonstrates that a policy exists.
Menopause Risk Assessment
A menopause risk assessment provides a structured way to understand how your workplace, environment and ways of working may be impacting employees.
This includes reviewing factors such as temperature, ventilation, access to rest areas, uniforms, ergonomic setup, access to facilities, and flexibility in working patterns.
I support organisations to design and implement risk assessments that are practical, proportionate and easy to apply.
This may involve working with HR or managers to shape the approach, ensuring the right questions are being asked, and creating a consistent process that can be used across teams.
The focus is on making this usable in real working environments, not creating something that sits on paper and is never applied.
Menopause Reasonable Adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are the practical changes that follow.
These are not fixed or standardised. They are based on individual need and require a clear, consistent approach to how requests are handled and implemented.
Adjustments may include changes to working patterns, access to private or quiet spaces, environmental changes, or flexibility around how work is delivered.
I support organisations to define what this looks like in practice, create clear guidance for managers, and ensure there is a consistent and timely approach to responding to requests.
When this is in place, support becomes consistent rather than dependent on individual managers.
Employees are more likely to speak openly about what they need.
Managers know how to respond.
And organisations are better able to protect performance, confidence and retention.
If you are reviewing how menopause is currently being supported within your organisation, this is one of the most practical and immediate ways to make a difference.