But Bloom, the network for women in advertising and communications, argues that awareness alone doesn’t keep talented women in their jobs. Its updated Menofesto, a free guide and policy blueprint for employers, is designed to turn conversation into action.
First published in 2022, the Menofesto has been refreshed by Bloom Mpower, the network’s group for midlife women. It offers an adaptable menopause policy blueprint, guidance for employees, line managers and leaders, member testimony and further resources. It is aimed at organisations of any size, whether they are writing a first policy or updating an existing one.
The timing is deliberate. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers with 250 or more staff must publish menopause action plans from spring 2027. Yet Bloom members report that some companies are cutting DEI and menopause budgets rather than building them up.
“With budgets being cut just as new legal duties arrive, now is the time for leaders to act,” says Nafissa Norris, President of Bloom. “Our blueprint shows that most of what makes a difference costs little or nothing.”
The 2026 edition takes stock of progress and setbacks. On the positive side, high-profile women sharing their experiences have made it easier for others to talk about menopause. HRT is now available in the UK on a prepayment prescription certificate, making treatment cheaper. The Equality and Human Rights Commission published workplace menopause guidance in 2024, which has since been updated.
There are caveats. Doctors now share practical advice on social media, but members warn that misleading menopause content is spreading too. And the budget pressure on DEI and menopause support is a clear step backwards.
The policy blueprint includes:
- Paid menopause leave: up to five days a year, on top of standard sick leave, taken as half or whole days.
- Fairer absence rules: menopause-related absence should not be penalised, and schemes that reward staff for not taking sick days should be reviewed.
- Mandatory training: menopause training for all line managers.
- Menopause champions: in HR and across the business, so staff have someone to turn to besides their line manager.
- Low-cost adjustments: fans and temperature control, quiet rooms, flexible working, extended deadlines, and help with proof-reading on brain-fog days.
- Co-created, public policies: built with staff rather than imposed on them, then published so others in the industry can learn from them.
As the Menofesto puts it: “The smallest changes can make a world of difference.”
The guide draws on anonymous testimony from Bloom members across the industry, and some of it is sobering. One member fears that greater visibility could backfire: “I fear that the high-profile reports of the debilitating nature of menopause symptoms is making older women even less attractive to employers.”
Others describe symptoms being mistaken for failure. “I thought I was useless at my job and genuinely thought that my younger colleagues were better at coping,” one says. “The reality is that I was not coping as well because of hormones and not because I was a failure.” Another recalls: “My mum was treated for depression and left her job – it was the menopause, but we didn’t realise until a lot later.”
Members also point to an industry that too often assumes menopause isn’t its problem. One response sums up the attitude: “Most of our workforce are younger and not of the age where the menopause is relevant.”
Where companies do engage, the demand is clear. One member’s employer found that a menopause awareness session “generated more interest and discussion than similar sessions held for other topic areas.”
Norris is urging every company in the sector to put the blueprint to use. “We’d urge every company in our industry to use it, publish their policy, and keep the conversation going all year,” she says.
For employers facing the 2027 deadline, the Menofesto offers a ready-made starting point that costs nothing to adopt. For those tempted to trim menopause support in a tough budget year, its message is that the most effective measures are often the cheapest, and that silence carries a cost of its own.
The Menofesto is available to download free at bloomnetwork.uk/menofesto.
