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Written Question
Employment: Menopause and Periods
Monday 9th February 2026

Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Neath and Swansea East)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will include the British Standard Institution's health and safety document entitled BS 30416 on Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace, published on 31 May 2023, in her Department's guidance on the Employment Rights Act 2025.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We recognise that employers already have access to a wide range of guidance on supporting employees experiencing menopause, including resources produced by the British Standards Institution. While current government guidance does not specifically reference BS 30416: Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace, our aim is to ensure that current and future government advice complements and aligns with such materials.

As part of the Employment Rights Act 2025, this government took the first step towards requiring large employers to publish an action plan detailing what steps they are taking to support employees through the menopause. To support employers to develop these plans, the Office for Equality and Opportunity will provide guidance on recommended actions. This will be drawn from existing evidence, such as DWP's own Menopause in the Workplace Literature Review, while recognising that some actions may also support women managing other reproductive health conditions at work.

Additionally, as part of Government’s wider commitment to Make Work Pay, DWP committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. This is available on the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS): Managing the menopause - Menopause at work - Acas. Actions set out in this guidance are aligned with, and complement, the advice set out in BS 30416 on Menstruation, Menstrual Health and Menopause in the Workplace.

We will keep the evidence base and our guidance under review to ensure it reflects emerging research and best practice in supporting employees experiencing menopause and wider reproductive health conditions.

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