Menopause at Work: What the Employment Rights Act 2025 Means for Employers
Quick answer: under the current implementation timetable, larger employers are expected to move from voluntary publication of Equality Action Plans in 2026 to mandatory publication from 2027, with menopause support as one of two required areas. The Act introduces a specific requirement for employers with 250 or more staff to publish, in writing and signed off by senior leadership, what they're actually doing to support employees through perimenopause and post-menopause.
Until now, menopause support in the workplace has been optional. Some organisations acted. Many didn't. That has changed.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 places menopause on the legislative agenda for the first time - not by creating new rights, but by requiring organisations to show what they are actually doing.
This is not new protection for employees. It’s new accountability for employers. Until now, menopause support in the workplace has been a matter of good practice - something progressive organisations chose to do, largely voluntarily, in response to pressure from employees, advocates and the occasional tribunal decision.
For HR teams and senior leaders, that distinction matters enormously.
Is this the same as "menopause leave"?
Not quite, and it's worth clearing up early because the two get muddled in coverage of this Act. There is no new statutory right to menopause leave and no requirement for employers to offer separate paid leave for menopause symptoms. What the Employment Rights Act 2025 creates is a reporting and accountability duty - employers have to publish what support they're providing, not offer a specific new entitlement. Some organisations choose to introduce menopause leave or policies as one of their own actions within an Equality Action Plan, but that's a business decision, not a legal requirement. If you've seen headlines suggesting menopause leave is now law, that's not accurate - this legislation is about transparency and planning, not a new type of leave.
In my experience
In my work with organisations, I often find that managers want to support staff experiencing menopause but don't know what practical adjustments to make. Having a written plan is important, but it only makes a difference when managers understand how to have supportive conversations and put those commitments into practice.
What the Act actually requires
The Employment Rights Act 2025 creates a statutory duty for employers with 250 or more employees to publish Equality Action Plans. These plans must set out the measures employers are taking in two prescribed areas:
Reducing the gender pay gap
Supporting employees experiencing menopause - specifically including perimenopause and post-menopause
Plans must include at least one action in each area. The Government encourages employers to go further than the minimum where possible, and has published a framework of 18 evidence-informed recommended actions to support implementation.
Plans must be signed off by senior leadership - a requirement equivalent to that already in place for gender pay gap reporting, signalling that this is a board-level accountability matter, not solely an HR function.
Plans will be submitted via the existing gender pay gap reporting portal, placing menopause accountability squarely within the established gender equality reporting infrastructure.
The timeline: what happens when
The implementation is phased, giving organisations time to develop genuine capability rather than rushing into compliance.
6 April 2026 - Voluntary period begins From this date, employers with 250 or more employees can voluntarily publish their Equality Action Plans, including menopause actions. The Government is actively encouraging early adoption. Voluntary publication gives organisations valuable time to develop, test and refine their approach before publication becomes mandatory.
Spring 2027 - Mandatory publication begins For the 2027/2028 reporting year, publication of Equality Action Plans becomes mandatory for employers with 250 or more relevant employees as of the snapshot date of 5 April 2027.
April 2028 - First compulsory action plans due The first compulsory plans - covering the 2027/2028 reporting year, based on 2026/2027 gender pay gap data - must be published by 4 April 2028.
Note: Secondary legislation is still required to bring the mandatory requirement into full effect. Additional Government guidance specifically for action plan development is expected in April 2026. Employers should monitor ACAS and the Government Equalities Office for updates as regulations are confirmed.
For many organisations, the biggest challenge won't be writing an Equality Action Plan. It will be ensuring managers know how to apply it consistently. Policies alone rarely change employee experience. Manager confidence, practical adjustments and supportive conversations are what determine whether a plan makes a real difference.
What an action plan must contain
At minimum, an Equality Action Plan must include at least one concrete, practical action relating to menopause support. In practice, employers are likely to benefit from going beyond the minimum requirements. A meaningful plan demonstrates commitment, builds trust with employees and is more likely to deliver lasting improvements than a document produced solely to meet compliance obligations.
The Government has published a framework of 18 recommended evidence-informed actions, grouped around five areas: recruiting staff, developing and promoting staff, building diversity into the organisation, increasing transparency and health-related support.
For the menopause element specifically, the guidance identifies the following types of action as appropriate for inclusion:
Policy and procedure
A written menopause policy in plain language, accessible to all employees -
Clear processes for employees to request adjustments without excessive bureaucracy
Separate recording of menopause-related absence from general sick leave
Manager capability
Training for line managers that focuses on practical, compassionate responses - not just legal compliance
Designated menopause champions or peer support facilitators
Regular check-ins built into existing wellbeing conversations
Workplace environment
Environmental risk assessments that account for temperature regulation, ventilation and rest areas
Flexible working options that are genuinely available in practice, not just permitted in policy
Access to occupational health support
Culture and transparency
Menopause awareness sessions for all staff to reduce stigma and normalise conversation
Visible leadership support at senior level
Feedback mechanisms so employees can report whether support is working
The five-step process the Government recommends for developing a plan:
Understand the issues - audit existing measures and gather workforce data
Select actions - choose from the evidence-informed framework, prioritised for your organisation
Submit the plan - via the gender pay gap portal
Monitor progress - track whether actions are delivering intended outcomes
Review annually - update the plan based on what is and isn't working
The good news is that organisations don't need to wait until mandatory reporting begins. Many of the practical actions likely to appear in Equality Action Plans - such as manager training, workplace adjustments and menopause awareness - can be introduced now, helping employers support staff sooner while preparing for future compliance.
The shift from passive reporting to active accountability
This is the structural change that matters most for HR leaders and senior teams to understand.
For the nine years since mandatory gender pay gap reporting was introduced in 2017, the requirement has been to report - to publish a set of statistics. What those statistics revealed, and what organisations did in response, was left largely to voluntary action. Most organisations published their gap. Fewer did anything meaningful to close it.
The Equality Action Plan requirement changes that architecture. It moves from transparency to accountability. Employers are now required to state publicly - in writing, signed by senior leadership - what they are going to do, by when, and on what evidence. That commitment creates a basis for scrutiny, for challenge, and eventually for enforcement.
The Government has been explicit about the intent: this is a material shift from passive reporting to active communication about proactive steps. Employee groups, trade unions and industry bodies are expected to scrutinise commitments and hold employers accountable for whether those commitments are followed through.
For organisations that have taken menopause support seriously, this is an opportunity to document and publicise what they have already built. For those who have not, the voluntary year - April 2026 to spring 2027 - is not optional in any meaningful strategic sense. It is the window in which to build the capability, gather the data, and develop the institutional readiness that cannot be created under deadline pressure.
What happens if an employer doesn't comply
The Act doesn't set out a fixed financial penalty for a weak or missing Equality Action Plan, in the way a tribunal award works. The mechanism is closer to gender pay gap reporting: publication is mandatory, and the pressure comes from visibility. Plans will be publicly available, meaning employees, prospective employees and other stakeholders can see what action an organisation is taking. Combined with the separate reduction in the unfair dismissal qualifying period, employers who show no evidence of menopause support may also find themselves more exposed in individual tribunal claims.
The wider context: where this fits
The Equality Action Plan requirement does not sit in isolation. It is part of a broader legislative programme that is reshaping employer accountability for women's health and workplace equality.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 also introduces, across its wider provisions: day-one parental leave rights, strengthened protections for pregnant employees and those returning from maternity leave, enhanced sexual harassment prevention duties, and - from 1 January 2027 - a reduction of the unfair dismissal qualifying period from two years to six months with the compensatory award cap abolished entirely.
That last change significantly increases the legal exposure of any employer who dismisses, manages out, or applies capability processes to employees experiencing menopause symptoms without proper process and adjustment - including in the first six months of employment. The Employment Rights Act 2025 is not a standalone menopause measure. It is part of a legislative landscape that is becoming substantially less forgiving of poor practice.
Looking further ahead, the Government has also proposed extending pay gap reporting to include ethnicity and disability under the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill. The Government's own guidance notes that menopause action plans may also support employees experiencing endometriosis, fibroids, or polycystic ovarian syndrome - signalling a broader direction of travel toward accountability for women's health conditions across the lifecycle, not just menopause. The recent Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in Pal v Accenture [2026] EAT 12, which reinforced the legal framework for disability discrimination claims connected to chronic women's health conditions, sits squarely in this emerging landscape.
What smaller employers should know
The mandatory requirement applies to employers with 250 or more employees. Smaller organisations are not currently required to publish an Equality Action Plan.
However, two things are worth noting. First, the legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 - the duty to make reasonable adjustments, the prohibition on discrimination, the duty of care under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 - apply to employers of all sizes. Those have not changed. Second, as menopause becomes more visible as both a legal and reputational issue, the absence of any visible support becomes increasingly notable in smaller organisations, particularly those competing for experienced female talent.
The action plan framework is available for voluntary adoption by any employer. For smaller organisations, the five-step process and 18 recommended actions provide a practical structure for building menopause support in a proportionate, evidence-based way - without waiting for a legal mandate.
If you're not in HR: what this means for you
Most of this blog post is written for people managing compliance, but if you're an employee reading this because you're struggling at work with menopause symptoms, here's the short version: this law won't change your day-to-day experience immediately, but it does mean your employer now has to be publicly accountable for what support exists. It's worth checking whether your organisation has 250+ staff, and if so, watching for their Equality Action Plan from 2026 onwards. In the meantime, your existing rights under the Equality Act 2010 haven't changed - you can still request reasonable adjustments today.
For HR: the practical questions to answer now
If you are responsible for compliance or people strategy in an organisation of 250 or more employees, the voluntary year beginning April 2026 is the right moment to work through the following:
Audit: What do you already have - policy, training, flexible working practice, occupational health access, absence recording? What is the gap between what exists on paper and what employees actually experience?
Data: What does your workforce data show about retention, absence, and engagement among women aged 40 to 60? What would the cost of current attrition look like if menopause-related exits were identified and quantified?
Governance: Who owns this? Senior sign-off is required. Has menopause support been discussed at board or leadership team level as a business risk and a compliance matter?
Action selection: From the 18 recommended actions, which three to five are most relevant and most achievable in your organisation in the first year? The Government encourages more than the minimum. Selecting actions that address both policy infrastructure and cultural normalisation will be more durable than policy alone.
Publication: Even if you choose not to publish voluntarily in 2026, internal development of the plan - including the consultation, the data gathering, and the action selection - builds the organisational readiness you will need before mandatory publication begins.
This is a starting point, not a ceiling
The minimum legal requirement - one action on menopause - is a floor, not a destination. The organisations that will benefit most from this legislative moment are those that use the framework as a prompt to do what the evidence has long suggested: engage with their workforce, understand the real experience of menopausal employees, train their managers to respond practically and compassionately, and build the conditions in which experienced women are retained rather than lost.
Menopause support done properly is not a cost. It is an investment in retaining experienced professionals whose skills, knowledge and experience are invaluable to an organisation..
For a full picture of what effective employer support looks like in practice, including the adjustments that make the most difference and the legal framework that underpins them:
Menopause Workplace Adjustments: What You Can Ask For (UK Guide) - the practical detail on what organisations can and should provide
Your Legal Rights at Work During Menopause (UK Guide) - the current legal protections, including the growing case law on discrimination and disability
How to Talk to Your Manager About Menopause - how these conversations actually happen at line management level
If your organisation wants to move beyond compliance and build menopause support that managers can implement confidently, I can help. I work with employers to develop Equality Action Plans, deliver practical manager training and create menopause-aware workplace strategies that work in practice, not just on paper.
→ Get in touch to discuss implementation support
FAQs
Does the Employment Rights Act 2025 give employees paid menopause leave?
No. It requires larger employers to publish Equality Action Plans covering menopause support, but it doesn't create a new statutory leave entitlement.
Do employers have to introduce a menopause policy?
No. The legislation doesn't require a standalone menopause policy. However, many organisations choose to create one because it provides a practical way to explain the support available, how managers should respond, and where employees can access help.
Which employers have to publish an Equality Action Plan?
Employers with 250 or more employees, based on the same snapshot approach used for gender pay gap reporting.
When does publishing an Equality Action Plan become mandatory?
Under the current timetable, voluntary publication opens 6 April 2026, moving to mandatory from 2027, with the first compulsory plans expected by 4 April 2028 - subject to the secondary legislation still required to bring this into full effect.
Does this apply to small businesses?
Not the mandatory duty that only applies at 250+ employees. But existing duties under the Equality Act 2010 and Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 apply to employers of every size.
This blog post is informed by the Employment Rights Act 2025, Government Equalities Office guidance published 4 March 2026, ACAS implementation guidance, and CIPD analysis. It is written within the scope of health and nutrition coaching practice. It does not constitute legal advice. For specific compliance questions, consult an employment law solicitor or HR legal specialist.
References
Employment Rights Act 2025. UK Government Legislation. Royal Assent 22 December 2025.
Government Equalities Office. (4 March 2026). Government launches landmark gender pay gap and menopause action plans to help women thrive at work. gov.uk
Government Equalities Office. (4 March 2026). How to improve gender equality in the workplace: actions for employers — the 18 evidence-informed recommended actions. gov.uk
ACAS. (2026). Employment Rights Act 2025: timeline and guidance. acas.org.uk
CIPD. (2026). Equality action plans: changes under the Employment Rights Act 2025. cipd.org
Farrer & Co. (March 2026). New gender pay gap and menopause action plans: what employers need to know. farrer.co.uk
Berry Smith. (March 2026). Menopause action plans and new equality duties for employers. berrysmith.com
Blake Morgan. (March 2026).Employment Rights Act 2025: equality action plans. blakemorgan.co.uk
UK Government. (February 2026). Plan to Make Work Pay and Employment Rights Act: timeline update. gov.uk
Littler. (March 2026). UK Government launches guidance on pay gap and menopause action plans. littler.com
Pal v Accenture (UK) Ltd [2026] EAT 12. Employment Appeal Tribunal, judgement 19 January 2026.
Equality Act 2010. UK Government Legislation.
UK Government. (2024). Menopause in the Workplace Literature Review.
