3 ways to make menopause benefits more inclusive

December 5, 2024 4:38 PM

Women in office sitting around table, laughing

As employers consider how to implement and expand menopause benefits, there are some supplemental considerations to keep in mind.

The workforce populations of millennial and Gen X women are now close to or in the perimenopause and menopausal stages. And while the number of companies providing helpful health benefits is increasing, there is still a long way to go. Mercer reports that as of 2023, only 14% of large companies (those with 500 or more employees) offered or planned to offer menopause benefits. This is a stark contrast to the 64% of women who want access to these benefits, according to a 2023 survey by Bank of America.

Employers that offer tailored menopause support and access to preventative healthcare are off to a good start. Still, there are additional benefits to keep in mind, says Flory Wilson, the founder and CEO of Reproductive and Maternal Health Compass (RMH Compass). RHM Compass works with employers to identify what women's health benefits and policies they already have in place and what they can add or change to take their practices to the next level.

To support women in the menopausal stages holistically, Wilson shares three things, in addition to health offerings, that employers should be doing:

Train people managers

Managers should be aware of existing benefits and policies they can share and utilize to provide appropriate, compliant support to their team members.

"Train your middle managers on your company's benefits policies so that they can fairly and consistently apply [those] benefits," says Wilson. "Most companies can check that box. But then when we get into more granular stuff, including compliance, [like] the PUMP Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, [managers] have been fired because accommodations haven't been met."

By equipping managers with the right knowledge, employers are empowering them to look out for themselves and their employees.

"Companies have never thought about recognizing the role of that middle-level manager, who, in many ways, can make or break it for so many women in the workplace," says Wilson

Read more:

Millennials are hitting menopause, and it's impacting the workplace

Include caregiving benefits

Many women in the perimenopausal and menopausal stages are also caregivers, and this is another major factor causing women to leave or cut back at work. Offering and communicating caregiving support options are essential to building holistic wellness benefits.

"Maybe it's menopause that's making a lot of these women say, 'I've got to downgrade my career; I'm not able to thrive,'" Wilson says. "But it's also very possible that those same women have young children at home, and they also have parents who are aging and whom they are very likely also caring for. It's menopause, and it's everything else. Often, we haven't even connected the dots."

Watch your language

Employers should carefully articulate their policies so employees know the extent of support they have while also granting a level of autonomy, Wilson says. For example, Wilson suggests employers rebrand mental health days as wellness days instead, making the purpose of this time off more encompassing of various health needs.

"[We ask employers,] does your sick leave or your paid time away policy explicitly reference menopause?" says Wilson. "And what they say to us is, 'Oh no, we don't call it out in our policy, but of course, someone can take the time for that purpose if they need to.' You need to give people permission. You need to make things explicit in order for it to really be something that people feel comfortable doing."

Read more:

5 strategies for rolling out a menopause benefits program