The UK’s menopause employment champion has joined forces with the Chartered Institute of Professional Development (CIPD) to promote menopause-friendly workplaces, including in the early years sector.

Appointed as menopause employment champion by the Department for Work and Pensions in March 2023, Helen Tomlinson will work with the CIPD to help employers develop policies that support women experiencing menopause transition to stay and progress in work. 

The campaign aims to reach as many organisations as possible, including nurseries and preschools, with the message that menopause-supportive work cultures are essential to attracting and retaining valuable talent.

A CIPD survey found that flexible working is viewed as most helpful when managing menopause symptoms at work (48% of women agreed). Other helpful adjustments included a healthy and open workplace culture (38%), working with female colleagues of a similar age/experiencing menopause symptoms (26%), employer awareness raising and training (16%), understanding colleagues (15%) and management support (13%.) 

Peter Cheese, CIPD chief executive, said: “Flexible working practices can help those affected by menopause to manage symptoms. There’s a variety of flexible working practices organisations can offer for most roles, including flexitime, compressed hours, hybrid working, job-sharing and different forms of part-time working. By outlining the options available in job advertisements, employers are likely to be able to recruit from wider talent pools and in turn create fairer and more inclusive workplaces.” 

Tomlinson said: “Women over 50 are the fastest growing demographic in the workplace and when employers provide education, support and allyship, they can go on to have arguably the most productive and fulfilling time in their careers.”  

The CIPD has published a managers’ guide on how to support women through the menopause.