Zora Health / Employer guide / Malaysia
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Joint pain, poor sleep and brain fog can hit your most experienced employees at the height of their careers, yet many never link them to menopause or tell their manager. Zora Health helps you build practical menopause support, from workplace policies and manager training to confidential care navigation and access to 128+ partner clinics in 16 countries, around your workforce and budget. Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with us.
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Five things Malaysia HR leaders should know
- The mean age of menopause in Malaysia is 50.7, according to the national clinical practice guidelines. Women’s labour force participation falls from 69% at ages 40 to 44 to 34% at ages 55 to 59.
- In a 2025 study of 1,825 working women aged 40 to 60, the most common symptoms were joint pain (34.6%), sleep problems (31.1%) and brain fog (26.2%). Hot flushes affected only 17.8%, so many women and managers never connect the dots.
- Most menopause hormone therapy in the government formulary can only be prescribed by gynaecologists, and in a three-state study fewer than 1% of government primary care doctors prescribed it.
- There is no menopause law, but employees can apply in writing for flexible work, and the employer must answer in writing within 60 days, with reasons for any refusal.
- The Occupational Safety and Health Act now covers almost every workplace, and a normal risk assessment can include heat, ventilation, uniforms and rest facilities.
Why menopause is a business problem for employers
Menopause rarely announces itself at work. It looks like a senior manager with aching joints on the walk to a 9am meeting, a night of broken sleep before a client presentation, a word that will not come mid-sentence. Symptoms come and go for years. Because joint pain, poor sleep and brain fog are more common in Malaysia than hot flushes, many women do not link them to menopause, and fewer tell their manager.
So the cost stays out of your reports. It shows up instead as:
- Women leaving the workforce. Women’s labour force participation in Malaysia drops from 69% at ages 40 to 44 to 34% at ages 55 to 59 (The Star via Asia News Network, September 2025). Caregiving and household duties drive much of that drop, and unmanaged symptoms may contribute.
- Lower performance. In a 2025 Climacteric study of 1,825 multi-ethnic working women aged 40 to 60, 34.6% reported joint pain, 31.1% sleep problems, 26.2% brain fog and 25.8% mood swings (Climacteric, 2025, via Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur). Each makes long days and complex work harder.
- Senior talent at risk. In the same study, higher-income women were 1.64 times more likely to be more affected by their symptoms (The Star via Asia News Network), which puts experienced, well-paid employees at the centre of the issue.
- Unequal access. Citizens pay little at government clinics, but most hormone therapy formulations in the government formulary can only be prescribed by gynaecologists (Malaysian Family Physician, 2025), and non-citizen employees pay RM120 a specialist visit.
What employers gain
Keep the people who know how your business runs
Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary, according to Gallup. Women’s labour force participation in Malaysia reached 57.2% in January 2026 (Department of Statistics Malaysia), but drops sharply after the mid-40s. A written policy, trained managers and quick access to the right doctor can help address barriers that contribute to employee attrition.
Stand out to experienced women
In Mercer’s survey of 5,200 employees across Asia, 54% said it is important for their employer to support women’s issues. In a Sarawak study of 324 women, 61.2% said menopause causes unpleasant symptoms (BMC Women’s Health, 2021). A clear menopause offer, with practical adjustments and access to care, is still rare enough in Malaysia to set you apart.
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects employer medical costs in Malaysia to rise 16.0% in 2026 and 14.7% in 2027 (Aon, October 2026), so open-ended benefits are hard to budget. Much of what helps menopause costs very little: a flexible start time, a desk fan, a manager who knows what to say. The medical side is mostly outpatient care, such as a GP or gynaecologist review and, where suitable, hormone therapy.
Zora helps employers set an annual allowance or outpatient top-up around local consultation costs and public fees, so HR can run the programme within an agreed budget. The benefit works alongside your existing insurance.
Want to see what this would look like for your Malaysia workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Most menopause care in Malaysia is outpatient: a clinic visit, a gynaecology review if needed, and medication. Public fees are very low for citizens, but hormone therapy usually needs a specialist, and non-citizens pay higher rates.
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| Government health clinic (Klinik Kesihatan) | RM1 registration for citizens | Non-citizens pay RM40 a visit |
| Government hospital specialist clinic | For citizens, the first visit is free on a government referral (RM30 with a private referral), then RM5 a visit | Non-citizens pay RM120 a visit; most hormone therapy formulations in the government formulary need a gynaecologist’s prescription |
| Private specialist clinic | No public subsidy | RM80 to RM235 for a first consultation and RM40 to RM105 for a follow-up under the private clinic fee schedule, before tests and medication |
| Time off for appointments | No menopause leave | Paid sick leave of 14 to 22 days a year with a medical certificate, plus up to 60 days of hospitalisation leave |
Public fees as published by the Pahang State Health Department under the Fees (Medical) Order, with non-citizen specialist fees confirmed by the Health Minister in June 2026 (The Star). Private specialist fees from the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services fee schedule order, P.U.(A) 150/2026, in force from 2 April 2026, which applies to private clinics. These are published examples, not guaranteed current prices: actual costs depend on citizenship, referral route, clinic, doctor and treatment, so confirm fees with the provider before budgeting.
Hormone therapy is rarely started in public primary care. In a three-state study, fewer than 1% of government clinic doctors prescribed menopause hormone therapy.
Malaysia’s Clinical Practice Guidelines on the Management of Menopause, developed through the Ministry of Health and launched in July 2022, put the mean age of menopause at 50.7 and note that hot flushes affect more than half of Malaysian women over the transition. They are clinical, not workplace rules, but give HR a credible reference for what good care looks like. For employers, the practical opportunity is to help employees recognise their symptoms, understand their options and reach appropriate clinical advice sooner.
Menopause support that fits your workforce and budget
You do not need to overhaul your existing health insurance to support employees through menopause. Start with awareness and manager education, add confidential one-to-one support, or introduce a fuller programme across your offices. There is no minimum company size.
Where included in the employer programme, eligible employees can use talks and care navigation without paying Zora a separate fee. Care navigation allowances are set in each proposal. Treatment and other third-party costs are paid separately, either by employees or through the allowance their employer provides.
Companies starting the conversation
Essentials
Expert-led talks for employees and managers, menopause policy templates, manager guides and full access to the Zora app. Up to 2 talks a year.
Employees supported one to one
Navigation
Everything in Essentials, plus confidential one-to-one care navigation and access to our partner clinic network.
Large teams across Asia
Complete
Everything in Navigation, plus quarterly anonymised reporting, a dedicated account manager and scheduled review meetings with HR.
Optional add-ons can be added to any programme, subject to availability: hormone diagnostics and telehealth with specialists. Pricing is tailored to your headcount, your countries and the services you choose. Most companies start with a single talk.
Request a proposal See how Zora works for employers
Comparing menopause benefit providers? Use our RFP question bank
Most RFP templates were written for the US. Ours has 40 questions written for Asia, with why each one matters, what a good answer looks like and a scoring sheet for three providers. Six of the questions for menopause support in Malaysia:
- Is menopause support included as standard, or only fertility?
- What access do employees get to menopause specialists and hormone testing, and how quickly?
- How does the programme support flexible working applications under sections 60P and 60Q of the Employment Act 1955?
- Do you provide fertility and menopause policy templates for our markets?
- How can an employee get help confidentially without telling their manager?
- What individual-level data does HR see?
Your download link appears as soon as you submit. Zora Health may contact you about employee benefits; see our privacy policy.
Plan your menopause benefit budget
Menopause care allowance planner
Model the annual claims budget for a menopause care allowance. Change any number.
This is a claims budget, not a Zora quotation. Zora’s programme fees, implementation and optional services are separate.
It estimates the annual budget for a menopause care allowance from your eligible workforce, expected utilisation and allowance per employee, and assumes each user claims the full allowance. Eligible employees defaults to 15% as a stand-in for women aged 45 and over; use your own headcount data. The default allowance of RM1,500 roughly covers two private specialist consultations, tests and some months of treatment. Utilisation is an editable assumption, not observed Zora data. For a proposal covering both programme costs and employee benefits, request an employer proposal.
Estimate the potential workforce impact of menopause symptoms
A rough planning scenario. It applies a published estimate to your headcount, so it is not a prediction for your workforce, a measured loss or a forecast of savings from any programme.
Range: RM46,853 to RM141,826 a year, depending on replacement cost.
Assumptions: 13.4% of working women aged 45 to 60 reported at least one adverse work outcome due to menopause symptoms, and those who missed work lost a median of 3 days a year (Faubion et al., Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 2023). This was a US clinic sample, so treat it as a rough benchmark for Malaysia. The default salary is an illustrative figure for corporate employees; use your own. Replacing an employee costs one-half to two times their annual salary (Gallup, 2019); the headline uses the low end. Absence is valued at salary divided by 250 working days. Exit rate is your own assumption.
Already have corporate health insurance? Here is where Zora fits
Your medical plan may cover some consultations and treatment. Employees still need to recognise their symptoms, understand their options and find a doctor who knows menopause care, and many never get that far.
Zora works alongside your existing insurance and benefits. We help employees get reliable information, navigate their care options and reach suitable specialists, and we give HR manager training, policy templates and, on the Complete programme, anonymised reporting. You strengthen menopause support without replacing your medical plan.
How Zora works
For your employees
Employees join the Zora app with a company code, or single sign-on for larger teams. They can learn about perimenopause and menopause, understand what your benefit covers, book a confidential care navigation call and find partner doctors and specialists.
For HR
- Kick-off, week 1. Agree goals, countries and which employees are eligible.
- Policy and benefit design, weeks 2 to 4. Draft or update your menopause policy and flexible work guidance using our templates.
- Launch, typically weeks 4 to 6. A launch talk for employees and managers, plus a communications pack for HR to send.
- Live support. Employees book care navigation calls and use the Zora app.
- Reporting, every 3 months, on the Complete programme. Anonymised usage, common themes and our recommendations, reviewed with your account manager.
Privacy
On the Complete programme, HR receives anonymised, aggregated reports only: how many employees used the programme, which services they used and the common themes. On every programme, HR never sees an individual employee’s health information, bookings or test results, and employees can get help without telling their manager. Employee data is stored on Amazon Web Services in Singapore and handled in line with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act.
Clinics and doctors in Malaysia
Zora’s directory lists 30 clinics and 35 doctors in Malaysia. Locations include Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya and Penang, and 7 of the clinics list menopause care among their services.
Employees can browse clinics in Malaysia and find a doctor in Malaysia on the Zora app. The directory is for information only and is not an endorsement. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in Malaysia
Flexible working applications
Under sections 60P and 60Q of the Employment Act 1955, an employee can apply in writing to vary their hours, days or place of work, subject to their contract. The employer must approve or refuse in writing within 60 days and state the grounds for any refusal (Halim Hong and Quek; Skrine). The Act does not list acceptable grounds, so the law gives a right to apply and to a reasoned answer, not a right to flexible work. For most HR teams, this is the first place menopause shows up.
Sick leave and hospitalisation leave
Section 60F gives paid sick leave of 14 days a year with under two years’ service, 18 days with two to five years and 22 days with five years or more, plus up to 60 days of hospitalisation leave a year in addition (Employment Act 1955). Since 1 January 2023 the Act covers all employees regardless of salary, although some overtime and termination provisions apply only to those earning up to RM4,000 a month (Skrine). There is no menopause leave.
Discrimination inquiries
Section 69F lets the Director General of Labour inquire into and decide discrimination disputes between employees and employers, and make orders. Failing to comply with an order is an offence with a fine of up to RM50,000 (Conventus Law). The Act does not define discrimination or list protected grounds, so apply your policy consistently and base performance decisions on documented, job-related reasons.
Occupational safety and health
The Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act 2022 extends the Act to almost all places of work. Employers must ensure the safety, health and welfare of employees, carry out risk assessments and, with five or more employees, appoint an OSH coordinator. The maximum fine for breaching the general duty is RM500,000 (Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer). Menopause is not named, but heat, ventilation, uniforms and access to rest facilities fall within a normal risk assessment.
Sabah and Sarawak
The Employment Act 1955 applies in Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan. Sabah and Sarawak have their own Labour Ordinances, and amendments in force since 1 May 2025 added provisions on flexible working and workplace discrimination (Human Resources Online). The details differ, so check the ordinance that applies to each employee.
Health data
Health information is sensitive personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. Amendments in force from 2025 raised maximum fines to RM1,000,000, changed the rules for transfers abroad and, from 1 June 2025, made breach notification and a data protection officer mandatory (Skrine). Ask any provider how it meets these rules.
Why employers choose Zora
Companies including Hilton, LinkedIn, Sanofi, HSBC, Mastercard, Carousell and Singapore Management University work with Zora Health. We work alongside your existing insurance, helping employees use the cover they already have and find suitable doctors and specialists based on their needs.
Zora Health helped me to reclaim my confidence to thrive at work!
Questions HR teams ask us
Is menopause leave required in Malaysia?
No. There is no menopause leave and no menopause-specific law. Employees use paid sick leave with a medical certificate, hospitalisation leave where needed, annual leave or a flexible working arrangement unless their employer offers more.
Can an employer refuse a flexible work request from an employee with menopause symptoms?
Yes, but under sections 60P and 60Q the employer must reply in writing within 60 days and give its grounds for refusing. Consider temporary or trial arrangements, such as a later start after poor sleep or some days working from home.
Is menopause a protected characteristic in Malaysia?
No. Section 69F lets the Director General of Labour decide discrimination disputes, but the Act does not define discrimination or list protected grounds, so it is unclear how it would apply to menopause-related treatment.
Does our policy need to cover Sabah and Sarawak?
Yes, if you employ people there. The Employment Act 1955 covers Peninsular Malaysia and Labuan, while Sabah and Sarawak have their own Labour Ordinances, amended from 1 May 2025, so state which law applies to each group of staff.
What should a Malaysian menopause policy include?
A clear purpose, who it covers, how to request flexibility through your section 60P process, workplace adjustments such as fans, temperature control and rest breaks included in your OSH risk assessment, how sick leave applies, guidance for managers, how symptoms are considered in performance reviews, and who can see health information.
Do foreign employees pay more for public menopause care?
Yes. Non-citizens pay RM40 for a government clinic visit and RM120 for a specialist clinic visit, compared with RM1 to RM5 for citizens. That is where an employer benefit makes the biggest difference.
Does Zora replace our health insurance?
No. Zora works alongside your insurance. We help employees understand their options, find suitable specialists and use the cover they already have.
How quickly can we launch?
Typically 4 to 6 weeks from contract to launch, depending on scope and countries. Most companies start with a single talk.
Related guides for Malaysia employers
Build a menopause support programme for your team
Whether you are introducing menopause benefits for the first time or improving an existing programme, tell us your headcount, countries and priorities. We will come back within two working days with suitable services, an indicative budget and a practical rollout plan for your Malaysia team. No obligation.
Sources
- Ministry of Health Malaysia, OGSM and Malaysian Menopause Society, Clinical Practice Guidelines: Management of Menopause in Malaysia, 2022
- Climacteric, Menopausal symptoms among multi-ethnic working women in Malaysia, 2025 (1,825 working women aged 40 to 60), via Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur
- The Star via Asia News Network, How Malaysian women experience menopause, 18 September 2025
- Syed Alwi et al., Perception of menopause among women of Sarawak, Malaysia, BMC Women’s Health, 2021 (324 women)
- Lee, Ooi and Goh, Malaysian Family Physician, July 2025
- Department of Statistics Malaysia, Labour Force, Malaysia, January 2026
- Mercer, Health on Demand 2023, via Human Resources Online
- Gallup, This fixable problem costs US businesses $1 trillion, 2019
- Mayo Clinic News Network, Faubion et al., Impact of menopause symptoms on women in the workplace, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, April 2023
- Aon, APAC medical cost growth projected to slow to 9.7% in 2027, 12 October 2026
- Pahang State Health Department, Treatment charges
- The Star, Foreign patient treatment bills on downward trend, says Dr Dzul, 15 June 2026
- P.U.(A) 150/2026, Private Healthcare Facilities and Services (Private Medical Clinics or Private Dental Clinics) (Amendment of Fee Schedule) Order 2026
- Employment Act 1955 (Act 265), Department of Labour Peninsular Malaysia
- Halim Hong and Quek, Flexible working arrangements in the Employment Act 1955, March 2023
- Skrine, Employment (Amendment) Act 2022 comes into force, December 2022
- Conventus Law, Employment (Amendment) Act 2022: key changes, August 2022
- Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Malaysia: updates to statutory health and safety duties at work, May 2024
- Human Resources Online, Sabah and Sarawak Labour Ordinance amendments in force from 1 May 2025
- Skrine, Amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, December 2024