Menopause at work - why men need to be part of the conversation

For a long time, workplace menopause conversations have understandably focused on the women experiencing it.

We have needed to create safer spaces for women to talk, improve understanding of symptoms and challenge the stigma that has surrounded menopause for generations.

But if we want to create genuinely menopause-supportive workplaces, women cannot be the only people in the conversation.

Men are colleagues, managers, senior leaders, partners and family members. They make decisions about workloads, working arrangements, promotions and workplace culture. And in many organisations, they still occupy a significant proportion of senior leadership and management positions.

So involving men isn't an optional extra.

It's part of creating meaningful organisational change.

And with employers now able to publish voluntary action plans setting out how they will support employees experiencing menopause - ahead of the anticipated move to mandatory action plans for organisations with 250+ employees from spring 2027 -  this is a good time to think about what genuine inclusion looks like.

Here are seven ways employers can bring men into the menopause conversation.

1. Start with why it matters at work

One of the biggest mistakes organisations can make is positioning menopause education as something that is only relevant to women experiencing menopause.

Instead, start with the workplace impact.

Menopause symptoms can affect sleep, concentration, confidence, memory, energy and emotional wellbeing. They can influence how someone experiences meetings, deadlines, shift patterns, uniforms, workplace temperatures and relationships with colleagues.

A manager doesn't need to experience menopause to recognise when an employee may need support.

A colleague doesn't need to experience menopause to contribute to an inclusive culture.

And a senior leader doesn't need personal experience of menopause to understand why retaining experienced women matters to the organisation.

When menopause is positioned as a workplace issue, the reason for involving everyone becomes much clearer.

2. Give men permission to learn

Many men are not resistant to learning about menopause. They are simply unsure where they fit into the conversation.

They may worry about saying the wrong thing, asking an inappropriate question or appearing to intrude on something deeply personal.

If your menopause communications appear to speak exclusively to women, don't be surprised if men assume the conversation isn't for them.

Make the invitation explicit.

Tell employees that menopause awareness sessions are for colleagues, managers and leaders as well as those experiencing symptoms.

Create opportunities where questions are welcomed.

And recognise that sometimes people need to listen and learn before they feel confident enough to contribute.

Participation doesn't always have to begin with speaking.

3. Equip managers with practical skills

General awareness is useful. Manager capability is even more important.

A manager may understand what menopause is and still have no idea what to do when an employee tells them they are struggling and it's affecting their work.

Managers need practical guidance.

How should they start the conversation?

What questions are appropriate?

What shouldn't they ask?

What workplace adjustments could be considered?

When should HR or Occupational Health become involved?

How should they maintain confidentiality?

Good menopause training shouldn't turn managers into medical experts. It should give them the confidence to have a supportive conversation and understand the options available to them.

For many male managers in particular, that practical framework can remove a great deal of uncertainty.

4. Focus on what people can actually do

Awareness alone rarely changes workplace experience.

People need to understand how they can respond.

That might mean considering flexible working, reviewing shift patterns, providing access to cooler working environments, allowing additional breaks, considering uniform adjustments or simply changing how certain meetings and workloads are managed.

The appropriate adjustment will differ from person to person.

But giving managers and colleagues practical examples turns menopause from an issue they may feel powerless around into something they can actively support.

The focus should shift away from worrying about saying the right thing and towards understanding what practical support could make work easier for the individual. 

That's a much more useful conversation.

5. Develop male allies as well as menopause champions

Menopause Champions and employee networks can be incredibly valuable.

However don't assume the people championing menopause have to be women.

Visible male allies can send an important signal across an organisation - that supporting colleagues experiencing menopause is everyone's responsibility.

They can also help reach employees who might never attend an event they perceive as being aimed exclusively at women.

This doesn't mean men need to become the voice of menopause or speak on behalf of women.

Their role is different.

They can listen, learn, challenge dismissive attitudes, signpost support and help normalise the conversation among their peers.

Sometimes one respected male colleague saying, "This matters and I wanted to understand it better" can influence workplace culture more than another corporate email ever could.

6. Get senior men involved visibly

Leadership behaviour matters.

If an organisation says menopause is important but senior leaders are noticeably absent from training, events and conversations, employees notice.

Senior male leaders have a particular opportunity to demonstrate that menopause support isn't a niche HR initiative.

They can attend training, sponsor menopause programmes and talk about what they have learned.

They can acknowledge that, like many people, there may have been times in the past when they didn't understand the impact menopause could have.

That kind of visible leadership helps create permission for other men in the organisation to engage too.

7. Don't make the conversation a one-off

A single webinar during Menopause Awareness Month isn't a menopause strategy.

Neither is publishing a policy that few managers know exists.

If employers are serious about supporting employees experiencing menopause - and particularly if they are beginning to prepare for the forthcoming action plan requirements - the conversation needs to become part of everyday organisational practice.

That means looking across;

• manager capability

• workplace adjustments

• policies and processes

• Occupational Health

• employee networks and Champions

• leadership

• internal communications

• workplace culture

Men need to be included across all of them.

From awareness to action

We've made enormous progress in bringing menopause into workplace conversations.

The next stage is ensuring those conversations translate into confident managers, practical support and organisational cultures where people feel able to ask for what they need.

That won't happen if half the workforce believes menopause has nothing to do with them.

Men don't need to have all the answers and they don't need to become menopause experts.

But they do need to understand why it matters, know how to respond and recognise the part they can play in creating a supportive workplace.

Because menopause support is more than just encouraging women to speak up.

It's making sure the people around them know what to do when they do.

Need support with knowing where to start? 

We help HR and People Leaders reduce risk, support employees and lead with clarity, without overwhelm or guesswork. Together, we can plan and embed effective menopause support across your organisation.