Reasonable Adjustments for Menopause at Work: A Practical Employer Guide

Where menopause symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, meaning they have a substantial, long-term adverse effect on normal day-to-day activities, the duty of reasonable adjustments applies. Even where the disability threshold is not clearly met, making adjustments protects you against sex and age discrimination claims and demonstrates good management practice.

A formal diagnosis is not required. The duty arises when you know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that an employee is disabled. If an employee tells you she is struggling with symptoms consistent with menopause, that is enough to trigger the obligation to consider adjustments, even if she has not seen a GP.

You can refer to occupational health with the employee’s consent. But you cannot refuse to make low-cost adjustments while waiting for a report. Start with what costs nothing, like flexible start times and a desk fan, and use medical evidence to inform more significant changes if needed.

Review and revise. The duty is ongoing, not a one-off event. Symptoms fluctuate, roles change, and what helped in winter may not help in summer. Build regular reviews into the process and document each change.

No. Menopause is confidential health information. If colleagues notice changes, such as different start times, you can say adjustments are in place for health reasons without disclosing the cause. The employee may choose to tell colleagues herself, but that is her decision, not yours.

If a tribunal finds that the employee was disabled and you failed to make a reasonable adjustment, compensation is uncapped. The tribunal will also look at whether you had a process, whether you documented conversations, and whether the adjustment would have been practicable. Having no process is worse than having one and getting it slightly wrong.