The new standard is also designed to better enable organisations retain experienced and talented people of all ages.

BSI, the UK National Standards Body, this week has published the ‘Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard’ (BS 30416), following extensive consultation with experts and the public. It sets out practical recommendations for workplace adjustments, as well as strategies to sit alongside existing well-being initiatives, to help organisations meet the needs of employees experiencing menopause or menstruation.

“The guidance is designed to enable organisations to prioritise the needs of colleagues and to tackle the potential loss of skilled workers, who may be at their career peak,” BSI said in a statement. 

It follows Fawcett Society research suggesting an estimated 10% of women experiencing menopause have left the workforce due to their symptoms, which can range from hot flushes to dizziness, insomnia, muscle and joint stiffness, going up to 25% for those with more severe symptoms.

Global menopause productivity losses are said to already top $150bn (£121bn) a year. BSI gathered a panel of experts to develop the standard, recognising that this situation is set to grow as greater numbers of women stay in the workforce for longer. Estimates suggest that by 2025, there could be more than 1bn people experiencing menopause globally – 12% of the world population.

BS 30416 has been developed to help organisations identify misconceptions around menstruation and peri/menopause and the impact a taboo surrounding them can have on workplace support. It was developed with input from large businesses including Wm Morrison and BT, as well as representatives from UNISON, Federation of Small Businesses, LGBT Foundation, Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Daisy Network, Endometriosis UK, and included a public consultation period.

The standard aims to provide examples of good practices for employers, including policy guidance, work design, workplace culture, and physical aspects of work. Steps to think about include:

1. Considering the workplace culture to determine whether there is there a general awareness of menstruation and menopause, and whether employees are given opportunities for open conversations or to request support.
2. Looking at whether line managers and HR managers are suitably trained or receive suitable resources to understand the potential impact of menstruation and menopause.
3. Reviewing if the workplace environment is properly controlled and there are facilities such as toilets or discrete changing rooms, or easily accessible quiet recovery spaces.
4. Checking whether the relevant policies (wellbeing, D&I, performance management, sickness and absences, flexible working etc) consider menstruation and menopause.
5. Looking at whether work designs enable some flexibility for an individual approach. Aspects could include scheduling, timings of breaks, comfort adjustments such access to individual cooling or heating, opportunities for sitting or stretching.

The guidance is designed to be flexible, acknowledging that experiences of menstruation and menopause vary significantly and not everyone will want support from their employers.

“There is no one-size-fits-all experience of menopause, but the data suggests thousands of women are leaving the workforce at this stage, contributing to significant productivity losses, robbing organisations of talented people, and removing mentors who can draw on their experience to support newer members of staff. It doesn’t have to be that way,” BSI said.

“Many employers want to better support people experiencing menstruation and menopause, but they may face a lack of knowledge of how to do so. The recommendations are designed to address some of the broad challenges and offer practical adjustments to help all colleagues continue to feel valued, motivated and able to remain in the workforce for longer.”

Helen Tomlinson, menopause employment champion for the UK government, said: “I am truly delighted that the BSI have produced the ‘Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace’ standard, recognising the challenges, symptoms and experiences of both menopause and menstrual health and how these can affect women in the workplace. It’s a free resource for any organisation, large or small across all sectors, to be able to utilise. This will go a long way to ensure that everyone can receive the support they need at this critical time.”

BSI will celebrate the launch of the standard at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on 5 July, when Alice Smellie and Mariella Frostrup will join panel experts who developed the standard to share their views and experiences, as well as to offer practical tips and tools on implementing this guidance within business environments.

BSI gathered a panel of individuals and representatives from organisations with expertise in the areas of menstruation, menopause, human resources, diversity and inclusion, occupational health & safety, LGBT issues, disability issues, and legal issues across academia and business. A wide range of expertise was sought in order to source insights and views that would be applicable to individuals in a range of different workplaces.

The panel of experts gave their views across a series of meetings between June 2022 and December 2022 and in between these meetings, changes were made and further opportunities for the panel members to comment were created.

The standard then went through a public consultation, which allows the wider public to propose changes prior to its final publication. The public consultation is important to BSI to ensure different viewpoints have been heard during the development.

All British standards are developed with a set process which includes a two months review period for the public consultation. For BS 30416 this took place between December and February. The panel have been meeting between February and April to resolve comments submitted with a final meeting scheduled on 21 April.

BSI is appointed by the UK government as the National Standards Body and represents UK interests at the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the European Standards Organizations (CEN, CENELEC and ETSI).

For more information or to download the standard please visit here.

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