Menopause at Work in England, Wales and Scotland

Who this guide is for

Workers in England, Wales or Scotland affected by the menopause at work, who want to know what their employer must do and whether they have been treated unfairly.

What this guide does not cover

• Work in Northern Ireland: see the Northern Ireland guide.
• Reasonable adjustments for other conditions: use the reasonable adjustments checker. Mental health absence: use the mental health at work checker.
• Sick pay and your other rights at work: use the employee rights checker. Asking to work flexibly in detail: use the flexible working checker.
• Medical advice. Speak to your GP.
• Tribunal time limits in detail: use the tribunal deadline checker.

The questions that decide the answer

1. Do your symptoms have a substantial and long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activities? If yes, they could be a disability, and the duty to make reasonable adjustments can apply. If not, sex and age discrimination protection still applies.
2. What has your employer done? For example, refused a change, disciplined you for absence, or allowed jokes about your symptoms.
3. When did it happen? The date decides your time limit.

"Is the menopause a disability?"

Not automatically. You are disabled under the Equality Act 2010 if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a "substantial" and "long-term" negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities. "Substantial" is more than minor or trivial. "Long-term" means 12 months or more.

If menopause symptoms have a long-term and substantial impact on your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, they could be considered a disability. Only a tribunal can finally decide.

"What must my employer do?"

If your symptoms amount to a disability, your employer must make reasonable adjustments. It must not directly or indirectly discriminate because of the disability, or treat you unfavourably because of something arising from it.

Reasonable adjustments can include doing things another way, changing equipment, or allowing flexible hours or part-time working.

Whether or not your symptoms are a disability, you are protected from direct and indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation because of your age and sex.

Employers also have a legal obligation to assess their workplace risks under health and safety law.

For menopause, Acas says a risk assessment could look at: the temperature and ventilation, whether a uniform is too hot or uncomfortable, somewhere suitable to rest, easy access to toilets, and cold drinking water.

Employees can also ask for flexible working from their first day in a job. Your employer must decide within 2 months, and must discuss the request with you before refusing it.

Acas advises employers to record menopause-related sickness absence separately, because counting it in your overall attendance record could be unfair or discriminatory.

There is no general legal right to time off for menopause-related medical appointments, but your contract may give you paid or unpaid time off. If your symptoms are a disability, time off for appointments can be a reasonable adjustment.

Employers with 250 or more workers can already publish a voluntary action plan, which must include at least one action to support workers going through menopause. Publishing one becomes mandatory in 2027 under the Employment Rights Act 2025. This is not in force yet.

"I've been treated badly. What can I do?"

Raise it with your employer first. If that does not work, you can get advice from Acas, Citizens Advice or your trade union.

A discrimination claim needs no minimum length of service. Unfair dismissal needs at least 2 years of continuous employment now, and at least 6 months where the employment ends on or after 1 January 2027. Before you can make most employment tribunal claims, you must notify Acas to start early conciliation. It is free. Your time limit is paused while conciliation runs, but only if you notify Acas within your time limit.

Why the employer acted matters

For direct discrimination and victimisation, being treated badly and having a protected characteristic (or having complained about discrimination) is not enough on its own. The tribunal asks why the employer acted, and the characteristic or complaint must be part of the reason. It does not have to be the only or main reason, and it can count even if the employer did not realise it, but it must be more than a trivial part.

Proof: you first need facts from which a tribunal could decide there was discrimination if there were no other explanation. If you have those, it is then up to the employer to prove it did not discriminate.

Different tests: harassment only needs the conduct to be related to the characteristic, and its effect on you can be enough even if it was not meant. Indirect discrimination and reasonable adjustments are about disadvantage, not the employer's motive. Unfavourable treatment because of something arising from a disability is not discrimination if the employer shows it was a proportionate way to meet a legitimate aim, or that it did not know and could not reasonably have known about the disability.

Deadlines you must meet

• Most tribunal claims, including discrimination: 3 months less 1 day from the act you are complaining about, or 6 months less 1 day where that act (or the last act in a series) happened on or after 1 October 2026.
• Notify Acas within your time limit, so that the clock is paused.
• Your exact date depends on your facts: the tribunal deadline checker works it out.

Traps

• The menopause is not automatically a disability. It depends on how substantial and long-term the effect of your symptoms is.
• Sex and age discrimination protection applies even if your symptoms are not a disability.
• Do not use Northern Ireland rules here. The Equality Act 2010 does not apply there.