World Menopause Day and new global standard for menopause, menstrual health and menstruation in the workplace

There have been great strides made in recent years in not only raising awareness of the menopause, but in employers providing the appropriate support in their workplaces to manage menstrual health and menopause. Following on from the British Standards Institute (BSI) issuing landmark guidance in 2023 to help employers improve the working conditions for employees, a new global standard (“BS ISO 45010”) has been published on supporting employees through menstruation and the menopause.

For more details of the earlier Standard, see our previous article here.

Why is this standard important?

According to the BSI, by 2030 over 1.2 billion women worldwide will be menopausal or postmenopausal. As such, employers taking appropriate action to support their employees as more and more are dealing with menstruation and the menopause is vital.

Although greater awareness is being raised on menopause in the workplace, this is not always matched with substantive action to help support workers. BSI research found that only 38% of UK employees who have experienced menopause or menstrual health-related issues felt confident their employer would help to find them a solution.

When this couples with research showing 49% of employees felt they were offered no support at all, it demonstrates that employers need to be taking a far more proactive approach to their menopause policies by putting in place practical solutions to help employees feel supported.

Employers have a duty to manage their employees’ health, safety and wellbeing both in the workplace and if their employees work from home. Without taking action to appropriately support their employees, they face risk of breaching the implied term of trust and confidence as well as breach of health and safety legislation.

This new international standard aims to address these concerns, offering assistance to employers in developing supportive policies and practices whilst cultivating a more inclusive workplace.

What is the guidance?

BS ISO 45010 was published on 7 September 2026. Although not legally binding, it provides key guidance which employers can use to support their employees in dealing with menstruation and menopause whilst ensuring their workplace has the appropriate systems in place to help.

The guidance will also support employers with the upcoming compulsory changes coming into effect in April 2027 by the Employment Rights Act 2025 (more on this below).

Some of the key guidance and recommendations are as follows:

Manager Toolkit

The guidance provides a Manager Toolkit for employers to help navigate the best form of action to support employees with menopause and how to cultivate a supportive environment.

Within the toolkit is conversation guidance which can be used by managers when meeting with staff to ensure they are comfortable and supported during any meeting.

Detailed guidance on suggested workplace adjustments is also provided, giving managers a breakdown of:

Common topics/issues employees may face when dealing with the menopause and menstruation
Questions related to those issues that can be asked to employees to help support them
Practical adjustments that can be made to the workplace to help deal with these
Potential further action that can be taken

Useful tools such as a general assessment guide for monitoring workplace adjustments and internal review checklists are also provided to supplement this.

SME support

Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are enterprises with:

Fewer than 250 staff; and
Less than or equal to £44 million in annual turnover or a balance sheet total of less than or equal to £38 million

With Government research showing that SMEs accounted for 99.9% of UK businesses at the start of 2024, the need for these enterprises to have effective menopause policies is essential.

As SMEs will typically have fewer financial resources at their disposal, the guidance outlines low-cost solutions which can still have a significant impact when implemented in the workplace.

BSI ISO 35010 outlines low-cost solutions such as reviewing current flexible working practices to ensure they specifically support menstruation and menopause and encourage collaborating with local charities and other SMEs to create support forums for employees.

These can all make a significant, practical impact in ensuring workplaces, regardless of size, are appropriately supporting their staff.

Training plans for employees

To promote employers fostering an open and inclusive environment where their employees are supported in dealing with menstruation and menopause, guidance on how to deliver effective training to employees is outlined and includes:

Advice that can be given to workers on workplace adjustments
How workers can overcome reduced confidence as a result of their symptoms
How to have open and supportive conversations about menstrual and menopausal health
Where to find relevant health information and resources

Upcoming changes in the Employment Rights Act 2025

Since April this year, large employers (employers with over 250 employees) could, on a voluntary basis, produce a menopause action plan, showing what steps they are taking to support employees going through menopause.

In April 2027, the Employment Rights Act 2025 will require the reporting of these equality action plans to be mandatory. For employers, this means practical steps will have to be taken to show how they are actively supporting their workforce in dealing with menopause.

Government guidance issued in March 2026, suggested actions employers can take to produce a sufficiently supportive action plan – these included:

Providing training for managers and employees;
Reviewing workplace policies and guidance on menopause;
Setting up menopause support groups and networks;
Conducting a menopause risk assessment for your workplace;
Creating a workplace environment where menopause can be discussed openly and respectfully;
Offering workplace adjustments for employees experiencing the menopause.

For more details of Equality Action Plans see our previous article here.

Impact of the guidance?

With the upcoming mandatory duty from April 2027, BS ISO 45010 provides employers with significant guidance on practical steps they can take to create an effective action plan which appropriately supports their employees with menopause and menstrual-health related issues.

Note that the guidance also includes useful Annexes. For example, Annexe E covers Initiatives to facilitate cultural change and Annexe F is a template Workplace charter for supporting menstrual and menopausal health at work.

The release of the guidance indicates a shift in the workplace. Employers acknowledging the conversation around menopause and menstrual health is no longer enough, and this now needs to be matched with practical action in the workplace to ensure employees are fully supported.

World Menopause Day is on 18 October 2026 and the focus this year is on chronic pain in mid-life and during menopause transition specifically. It is a useful opportunity for employers to highlight to staff some of the causes of the pain they may experience during menopause and what remedies are available to help manage that pain as well as the support provided by the organisation itself.

Ben Evans co-wrote this blog with Paula Kathrens, who is a trained Menopause Mentor.