Is a Menopause-Friendly Workplace a Good Thing?

Let us bring you some news from England: The Labour party recently announced that if elected, it will require larger companies—those with 250 or more people on staff—to adopt special supportive policies for menopausal women. The plan was shared by Dawn Butler, who’s the Shadow Women and Equalities secretary (if you don’t know about the Shadow Cabinet, which admittedly sounds like something out of Harry Potter, learn more here). 

With the goal of reducing stigma around menopause, the plan would allow for such measures as flexible work hours if a woman’s sleep was disrupted by menopause and rescheduling of meetings if needed due to menopause symptoms. It would also enforce better training of managers to understand female employees’ needs—say, that they may need access to ventilation and cold water (for hot flashes, we presume).