Menopause and Work; Advocating For Yourself

This is the part I wish someone had explained to me sooner. Menopause itself is not a specific protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 — but that doesn't mean you have no protection.

I'm not here to give legal advice, but I do want you to know that you don't have to struggle in silence and that support may be available.

If your symptoms have a long-term, substantial impact on your ability to carry out day-to-day activities, they could be considered a disability under the Act — which means your employer has a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments.

Even outside of that, you're protected from being treated less favourably because of your age, since menopause is usually connected to age, that protection can extend to menopause-related treatment too.

There's also a practical point worth knowing: rigid policies — fixed absence triggers, inflexible shifts, strict uniform rules applied without any flexibility — can themselves amount to indirect discrimination if they disadvantage you because of menopause symptoms. You asking for flexibility isn't a big ask. It's often exactly what the law anticipates.

Learning to advocate for yourself

Here's what I believe, and what I wish I'd practised sooner: you are allowed to ask for what you need. Support should be there for you. But how that support looks often is a conversation, sometimes a compromise, rather than a guarantee handed to you on a plate.

Some things that might be worth raising with a manager or HR, depending on your role:

• Working from home, even partially, if your role allows it

• Temporarily reduced workload or responsibilities during a harder patch

• A cooler workspace or access to fans/ventilation

• Extra or longer breaks when you need them

• A quiet space to step into if you feel overwhelmed

• A trusted person to talk to — a manager, HR contact, or menopause champion if your workplace has one

You may not get everything you ask for straight away. That's okay. Starting the conversation is still worth it — both for you, and for the women who'll have that same conversation after you.