Zora Health / Employer guide / Netherlands
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Fatigue, poor sleep and difficulty concentrating can hit your most experienced employees at the height of their careers, and with two years of sick pay at stake, the cost of getting it wrong is high. 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 Netherlands HR leaders should know
- The average age of menopause in the Netherlands is 51, with the transition running from about 40 to 60. The employment rate for women aged 50 to 64 was 73.1% in 2025.
- In a CNV survey of 4,500 women aged 45 to 65, 73% said symptoms make them less productive and 55% had not told their employer.
- The same survey found only 2% of employers have a menopause policy.
- Employers pay at least 70% of wages for up to two years of sickness and must follow the Gatekeeper Improvement Act, so early support matters.
- The Labour Foundation, with the social affairs and health ministries, published guidance on menopause and work in November 2023.
Why menopause is a business problem for employers
Menopause rarely announces itself at work. It looks like a team lead who slept four hours, a wave of heat in the middle of a client meeting, a word that will not come in front of the board. Symptoms come and go for years. 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:
- Burn-out and absence. In a CNV survey of 4,500 women aged 45 to 65, 17% of women with complaints had developed burn-out and 25% were close to it (CNV, December 2023). The Labour Foundation says women with severe complaints take six to eight times more sick leave (Stichting van de Arbeid, 2023).
- Lower performance. In the same CNV survey, 73% said symptoms make them less productive. In an RIVM study of more than 12,000 working women aged 40 to 66, more than one in three of those in the transition reported limitations at work (RIVM).
- Silence at work. 55% of the CNV respondents had not told their employer, and in a CBS and TNO study 57% of women with complaints wanted more support, mainly from their manager (NOS, May 2022).
- Few policies. Only 2% of employers have a menopause policy, according to CNV, and more than 170,000 women a year have complaints serious enough to affect their work, according to the Labour Foundation.
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. The employment rate for women aged 50 to 64 in the Netherlands was 73.1% in 2025 (Eurostat). A written policy, trained managers and quick access to the right doctor can help address barriers that contribute to absence and attrition.
Act before sickness absence starts
Dutch employers carry sick pay for up to two years, so early support is valuable. The Labour Foundation’s guidance encourages open conversations, adjustments and involving the occupational physician (Stichting van de Arbeid). Few employers have a policy yet, so a clear offer still sets you apart.
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects Dutch medical trend at 5.6% for 2026 (Aon, 2026 report). Much of what helps menopause costs very little: a flexible start time, a desk fan, a manager who knows what to say.
Zora helps employers set an annual allowance or top-up around basic insurance and the deductible, 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 Netherlands workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Most menopause care in the Netherlands starts with the GP, who is covered by basic insurance with no deductible. Specialist care and medicines count towards the annual deductible (eigen risico).
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| GP visit | Covered by basic insurance, with no deductible | Waiting times vary by practice |
| Gynaecologist or menopause clinic | Covered by basic insurance on referral | Counts towards the €385 annual deductible |
| Medicines, including hormone therapy | Most covered by basic insurance | Count towards the deductible; a co-payment of up to €250 a year applies if a more expensive medicine is chosen |
| Time off for appointments | Employer pays at least 70% of wages for up to two years of sickness | No menopause leave |
Deductible and basic package from Rijksoverheid and Rijksoverheid (2026); sick pay rules from AWVN. We could not confirm the reimbursement status of individual hormone therapy products. These are published examples, not guaranteed current prices: actual costs depend on cover, clinic, doctor and treatment, so confirm fees with the provider before budgeting.
Policy is rare. Only 2% of employers in a CNV survey had a menopause policy.
The Labour Foundation’s guidance on menopause and work, developed with the Ministries of Social Affairs and Health, is the main national reference for employers (Stichting van de Arbeid, November 2023). For employers, the practical opportunity is to help employees recognise their symptoms, understand their options and reach appropriate clinical advice sooner, with the occupational physician involved early.
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 countries
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
Our question bank has 40 questions for multi-country benefits teams, 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 the Netherlands:
- 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 work with our occupational health service and Gatekeeper Improvement Act obligations?
- 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 €500 roughly covers the annual deductible plus a private consultation. 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: €27,889 to €84,420 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 the Netherlands. The default salary is an illustrative figure; average annual pay per job was €47,460 in 2025, including part-time jobs. 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 the Netherlands
Zora’s clinic and doctor directory does not list providers in the Netherlands yet. It lists 421 clinics and 1,185 doctors across 25 countries, mostly in Asia Pacific and the Middle East (browse clinics or browse doctors). Employees in the Netherlands can still use Zora’s education and the Zora app. Ask us how your team in the Netherlands would use Zora before you launch. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in the Netherlands
Sick pay and the Gatekeeper Improvement Act
Employers pay at least 70% of capped wages for up to 104 weeks of sickness. The Gatekeeper Improvement Act sets a timetable: report to the occupational health service in week 1, a problem analysis by week 6, a plan of action by about week 8 and a report to UWV in week 42 (AWVN). The Government is exploring changes, but none has been decided (Rendement, September 2026).
Equal treatment
The Equal Treatment Act protects against discrimination on grounds including sex, in hiring, dismissal and working conditions (Algemene wet gelijke behandeling). Menopause is not named.
Flexible working
Under the Flexible Working Act, employees with six months’ service at employers with ten or more staff can request in writing, two months ahead, to change their hours, schedule or place of work. The employer must decide in writing a month before the start date, or the request applies (CNV).
National guidance
The Labour Foundation’s guidance on menopause and work, written with the social affairs and health ministries, recommends open conversations, practical adjustments and early involvement of the occupational physician (Stichting van de Arbeid). There is no menopause leave.
EU strategy and a new standard
The EU Gender Equality Strategy 2026 to 2030 includes menopause, with a study planned for 2028, and European trade unions launched a campaign for EU menopause-at-work legislation in October 2026 (Euronews). ISO 45010, published in September 2026, gives guidance on menstruation and menopause in the workplace, including risk assessment and individual adjustments (ecnews.it).
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
Do Dutch employers have to give menopause leave?
No. There is no menopause leave. Employees who cannot work report sick, and the employer pays at least 70% of wages for up to two years under the usual sickness rules.
Does basic insurance cover menopause care?
GP care is covered with no deductible. Specialist care and medicines are covered but count towards the €385 annual deductible.
Can an employee change their hours because of menopause symptoms?
Employees with six months’ service at employers with ten or more staff can request a change to hours, schedule or place of work under the Flexible Working Act, and the employer must decide in writing.
How does menopause fit the Gatekeeper Improvement Act?
Where symptoms lead to sickness absence, the usual Gatekeeper steps apply, from reporting to the occupational health service in week 1 to the plan of action by about week 8. Early support can help avoid long absence.
Is there national guidance for employers?
Yes. The Labour Foundation published guidance on menopause and work in November 2023, with the Ministries of Social Affairs and Health.
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 much does menopause support cost an employer?
It depends on the programme, any allowance and expected uptake. Use the budget planner on this page for a first estimate, then ask us for a tailored proposal based on your headcount and countries.
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 Netherlands 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 Netherlands team. No obligation.
Sources
- Thuisarts.nl (NHG), Ik ben in de overgang
- CNV, Survey of 4,500 women aged 45 to 65, December 2023
- Stichting van de Arbeid, De overgang en werk, November 2023
- RIVM, Women’s health and work (more than 12,000 working women aged 40 to 66)
- NOS, CBS and TNO study on menopause and work, May 2022
- Eurostat, Employment rates by sex and age (lfsa_ergan), 2025
- CBS StatLine, Average annual wages 2025
- Rijksoverheid, Eigen risico zorgverzekering
- Rijksoverheid, Basic health insurance package
- AWVN, Wet verbetering poortwachter
- Rendement, Scenarios for sick pay reform, September 2026
- Equal Treatment Act, version from 1 January 2026
- CNV, Flexible Working Act
- Aon, Global Medical Trend Rates Report 2026
- Euronews, Trade unions call for EU law on menopause at work, 17 October 2026
- ecnews.it, ISO 45010 on menstruation and menopause in the workplace, September 2026
- 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