The Work Couch: A new dawn for gender equality? Menopause revisited, with Rachel Suff and Charlotte White

Welcome to The Work Couch, the podcast where we discuss all things employment.

Marking Menopause Awareness Month this October, host Ellie Gelder is joined by Rachel Suff, Senior Policy and Practice Adviser, Employee Relations & Wellbeing at the CIPD, and RPC's Charlotte White, Partner in the Employment, Engagement & Equality team, to revisit menopause at work.

It's been over three years since our very first episode, which we devoted to the impact of menopause at work. So this week, we're asking what’s improved? What’s still missing? And how can employers prepare for legislative change and turn awareness into sustained action?

Together, Rachel and Charlotte discuss:

• their personal and professional perspectives and the importance of culture to facilitate open conversations about menopause;
• the legal considerations, including discrimination risks and the introduction of equality action plans under the Employment Rights Act 2025;
• low-cost but effective measures of support and practical adjustments for non-office roles;
• the role of line managers; and
• how to gauge if menopause initiatives are effecting meaningful change.

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All information is correct at the time of recording. The Work Couch is not a substitute for legal advice.

References

1. Employment Rights Act 2025
2. CIPD research on the menopause (4 October 2023)
3. Missing from the Workplace research commissioned by Benenden Health (23 January 2026)
4. Government guidance on equality action plans introduced by the Employment Rights Act 2025 (13 May 2026)
5. Rooney v Leicester City Council (7 October 2021)
6. Menopause discrimination: Where are we now? RPC article (16 November 2023)