Menopause & leadership for organisations

For the first time in UK law, menopause is explicitly recognised in the Employment Rights Act.

Is your organisation ready?

Menopause is no longer simply a wellbeing issue.

It is a performance issue.

A retention issue.

A legal and governance issue.

And increasingly, a leadership risk.

Government analysis already estimates that menopause costs the UK economy around £1.5 billion a year through women leaving employment, with further losses from absence, presenteeism, and reduced performance.

This is not about trend-led wellbeing activity.

It is about protecting capability, retaining talent and reducing avoidable risk. From April 2027, employers with more than 250 employees will be required to publish Menopause Action Plans aligned with the Equality Act, alongside measures such as:

Flexible working

Practical workplace adjustments

Manager training

And formal reporting

Organisations that delay now face:

  • Rushed compliance

  • Increased legal and grievance risk

  • Quiet loss of experienced women

  • Increased recruitment costs And

  • Avoidable reputational damage

Organisations that act early gain:

  • Higher retention of senior women

  • Greater manager confidence

  • Reduced legal exposure

  • More stable leadership pipelines

  • A credible position on inclusion and governance

Supporting midlife women is no longer a “nice to have”. It is a strategic workforce decision.
And the question many organisations are now asking is:

Who internally has the expertise to guide this properly?

The business reality

Workforce data consistently shows:
  • Around 1 in 4 midlife women consider leaving work due to menopause symptoms

  • Up to 80% report symptoms that affect work

  • More than 1 in 3 say symptoms significantly reduce performance or confidence

  • Many do not disclose difficulties due to stigma or perceived career risk

This means capability loss is often happening quietly — inside otherwise high-performing teams.

By their 40s and early 50s, many of your most experienced women are:

  • At peak seniority
  • Leading teams
  • Holding critical organisational knowledge
  • Carrying significant operational responsibility

At the same time, they may be navigating biological changes that affect:

  • Cognition and memory
  • Sleep
  • Stress tolerance
  • Emotional regulation
  • Confidence
  • Attendance
  • Performance stability

Replacing a senior employee can cost between 50% and 200% of salary.

Supporting and retaining her costs a fraction of that.

When this is misunderstood or unsupported, organisations see:

  • Rising absence
  • Performance processes triggered prematurely
  • Increased grievances
  • Quiet exits
  • Expensive replacement costs

My approach

My work sits at the intersection of:
  • Menopause science
  • Organisational psychology
  • Workforce risk
  • Leadership capability

I support organisations to:

  • Understand where menopause may be creating unmanaged risk
  • Strengthen manager confidence
  • Embed practical, proportionate adjustments
  • Protect performance and retention

This is not generic awareness training.

It is menopause-informed leadership consultancy designed for HR teams, executives and boards who want to move from policy to practice.

Corporate services

Menopause risk & culture assessment

A structured review of how menopause may be impacting governance, performance and culture within your organisation.

This assessment provides:

  • A review of relevant policies and processes (advisory lens)
  • Evaluation of adjustment pathways
  • Assessment of absence and performance risk exposure
  • Analysis of leadership and cultural readiness
  • Optional employee pulse survey
  • A scored Menopause Risk & Culture Index™
  • A clear executive report with prioritised recommendations

This provides clarity before action — and a credible foundation for board-level discussion.

From £2000

The menopause action plan

A structured consultancy project to design a practical, proportionate Menopause Action Plan tailored to your organisation.

Includes:

  • A full policy document, prepared for your organisation
  • A Personalised Menopause Action Plan for HR teams, executives, and leadership that sets out exactly what to do, and in what order.
  • Templates and frameworks for HR and leaders
  • Manager capability framework
  • Communication recommendations
  • Implementation timeline

Ideal for organisations that want clear direction before wider rollout.

From £1,500

Menopause risk & culture assessment and the menopause action plan together for a reduced cost

The menopause leadership programme

Designed for organisations ready to educate, implement and embed change.

A 1½ day in-person programme covering:

  • Menopause science and symptom impact at work
  • Practical leadership conversations
  • Manager capability
  • Absence and performance risk
  • Economics of retention vs recruitment
  • Implementation strategy
Includes:
  • In-person training
  • Leadership and HR implementation sessions
  • Full Menopause Action Plan included for free (value £1500)
  • Three months follow-up consultancy
  • Optional drop-in online Menopause Café session for staff
This isn’t just awareness. This is –

Educated leaders.
Capable managers.
Clear processes.
Better supported women.

From £5,500

Menopause & Leadership Speaking Engagements

For organisations who want to introduce menopause as a serious workplace, leadership and performance issue I offer structured speaking sessions designed to inform, engage and shift perspective.

This is not a generic wellbeing talk.

It is grounded in science, organisational reality, and practical leadership challenges.

Retained menopause consultancy

For organisations seeking ongoing advisory support.

Includes:

  • Monthly HR / leadership consultancy
  • Policy review and updates
  • Case-based advice
  • Access to templates and resources
  • Ongoing manager capability support

Designed to reduce risk, improve retention and embed long-term leadership confidence.

Optional add-ons

  • Monthly Menopause Café drop-in sessions for staff 
  • 1:1 coaching over 6-8 sessions with individual women you want to support in your organisation

Who this is for

This work is designed for:

  • SMEs
  • Corporate employers
  • HR and People teams
  • Leadership groups
  • Regulated and professional sectors

Who are:

  • Losing experienced women at midlife
  • Seeing rising absence or performance concerns
  • Concerned about legal and reputational exposure
  • Struggling to translate policy into practice
  • Ready to treat menopause as a workplace issue, not a side initiative

How to start

Most organisations begin with either:

  • A Menopause Risk & Culture Assessment

    or
  • A Lunch and Learn session or webinar

From there, many move into leadership training and retained consultancy.

If you would like to discuss what is most appropriate for your organisation, you are very welcome to start with a conversation.