Policy or proof? What the UK Employment Rights Act 2025 really asks of employers on menopause
From April 2026 you can publish a menopause action plan voluntarily. From Spring 2027, you'll have to. Here's what the new duty in the UK actually requires and how to build a plan that holds up.
Most large organisations already have a menopause policy. It sets out good intentions: we recognise menopause, we'll support our people, we'll treat requests sympathetically. For years, that was enough, because nothing required more.
The Employment Rights Act 2025 changes that. The new duty isn't really about having a policy. It's about being able to prove what you actually do.
What the Act requires
The Act introduces a statutory duty on employers with 250 or more employees to publish an Equality Action Plan and the steps they are taking to close their gender pay gap and to support employees experiencing menopause. The plan is published alongside their existing gender pay gap figures, and must include at least one concrete action on menopause.
And here's the catch. The law asks for as little as one concrete action on menopause and that low bar is the real risk. A single box-ticking line meets the letter of the requirement while protecting no one: not the women it's meant to support, and not the employer who has now committed to it on the public record. An action plan is a public commitment you then have to deliver which is exactly why a thin one carries its own risk.
The timeline matters. From April 2026, large employers can publish their plans voluntarily. From Spring 2027, subject to secondary legislation, publication becomes mandatory, with the first compulsory plans expected to follow the gender pay gap reporting cycle.
In other words, we are in the transition year now. The organisations treating 2026 as preparation time will be ready. Those waiting for the deadline will be retro-fitting under pressure, in public.
Why a plan you can't substantiate is a risk
Here's the part that's easy to miss: a published plan you can't stand behind carries its own exposure. If an employee's lived experience doesn't match what's written down, the gap doesn't protect you, it becomes evidence.
The wider legal picture is already shifting. Employers who can't evidence adequate support face exposure to claims under the Equality Act 2010 and scrutiny from the Fair Work Agency. And menopause-related employment tribunal claims more than tripled in two years from 64 in 2022 to 204 in 2024, based on law firm Nockolds' analysis of HM Courts & Tribunals Service data, reported by the CIPD's People Management.
None of this is a reason not to publish. It's a reason to make sure what you publish is real.
What a credible plan actually contains
A plan that holds up has substance behind every line. In practice, that means being able to evidence four things:
Support employees can genuinely access: not a phone number no one uses, but help that's easy to reach, day or night.
Adjustments that actually happen: flexibility, comfort and environment changes that managers know to offer, not just lines in a handbook.
Managers who are equipped: trained to spot when someone's struggling, have the conversation, and signpost properly.
A way to show it's working: uptake, feedback, and the small signals that tell you the support is landing.
A starter checklist
If you're beginning, work through these:
Do we have a current menopause policy, and does it reflect what we actually do?
Can an employee access credible support easily and confidentially?
Have our line managers had practical training, not just an awareness webinar?
What low- and no-cost adjustments are genuinely available, and do managers know to offer them?
Can we show evidence, uptake, feedback, and outcomes that any of this is reaching people?
Who owns the plan, and how often is it reviewed?
If the honest answer to several of these is "not yet," that's not a failing, it's your roadmap for the voluntary window.
Where to start
Hello Mimi was built to put the substance behind the plan: conversational support employees can reach around the clock, expert-led resources, symptom tracking, and practical manager training that turns a policy into something people feel and can actually benefit from.
If you're building your action plan ahead of 2027, or just working out where to begin, we'd be glad to talk it through. No pitch, just a clear-eyed conversation about what "proof" looks like for your organisation.
About This Article
This article is educational and general in nature, written to help employers and people leaders understand workplace menopause support and the duties introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025. It reflects the position at the time of writing and the requirements are subject to secondary legislation and may change, it is not legal advice. For guidance on your organisation's specific obligations, consult a qualified employment-law professional. Where we refer to menopause symptoms or health, this is general information, not medical advice; every woman's experience is different, and individuals should be supported to seek care suited to their own needs.