Zora Health / Employer guide / Saudi Arabia
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Poor sleep, fatigue and hot flushes can hit your most experienced employees at the height of their careers, just as more Saudi women build long careers. 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 Saudi Arabia HR leaders should know
- In a study of 500 Saudi women aged 45 to 65 in Riyadh, the mean age at menopause was 49.5.
- Saudi women’s labour force participation was 34.5% in Q2 2025, and Saudi female unemployment fell to 7.6% by Q2 2026, so more women will reach menopause while working.
- Labour law amendments in force since February 2025 require employers to avoid discrimination on grounds including sex, age and disability.
- Sick leave is up to 120 days a year: 30 days at full pay, 60 at three-quarters pay and 30 unpaid. There is no menopause leave.
- Private employers must provide health insurance for employees and their dependants, but published rules do not specifically address menopause care.
Why menopause is a business problem for employers
Menopause rarely announces itself at work. It looks like a senior manager 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:
- A growing group of experienced women. Saudi women’s labour force participation reached 34.5% in Q2 2025 (GASTAT), and Saudi female unemployment fell to 7.6% in Q2 2026 (Trading Economics, citing GASTAT). More women will reach menopause while working.
- Symptoms in senior years. The mean age at menopause in a Riyadh study of 500 women was 49.5 (Family Medicine and Primary Care Review, 2018), the years when many women are moving into senior roles.
- No published workplace data. We found no Saudi survey on menopause and work, so most employers have no view of how symptoms affect their teams.
- Unequal access. Employer insurance is mandatory, but published rules do not specifically address menopause care, so cover depends on the policy.
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. With women’s participation rising, keeping experienced women in work is a growing priority. A written policy, trained managers and quick access to the right doctor can help address barriers that contribute to employee attrition.
Act on the 2025 labour law amendments
Since February 2025, employers must ensure equal opportunity and avoid discrimination on grounds including sex, age and disability, for employees and applicants (Al Tamimi and Co). A clear menopause policy helps managers make consistent, job-related decisions.
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects Saudi Arabia’s medical trend at 8.0% for 2026 (Aon, 2026 report). Much of what helps menopause costs very little: a flexible start time, a fan, a manager who knows what to say.
Zora helps employers set an annual allowance or top-up around your mandatory health insurance, 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 Saudi Arabia workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Private employers must provide health insurance for employees and their dependants. What menopause care costs an employee depends on the policy.
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| Employees of private employers | Employer must provide health insurance for employees and dependants and pay the full premium | Cover for menopause care and hormone therapy depends on the policy |
| Time off for appointments | Sick leave: 30 days at full pay, then 60 days at three-quarters pay | Then 30 days unpaid; no menopause leave |
Insurance obligation from commoner-law.com; sick leave from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. We could not confirm the unified policy’s cover for gynaecology or hormone therapy, or private consultation fees. 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.
Women are entering midlife in work as never before. Saudi women’s labour force participation reached 34.5% in Q2 2025.
We have found no menopause workplace guidance in Saudi Arabia. For employers, the practical opportunity is to help employees recognise their symptoms, understand what their policy covers 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 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 Saudi Arabia:
- 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 our obligations under the 2025 labour law amendments and fill gaps in our mandatory health insurance?
- 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 SAR 3,000 is an illustrative figure for consultations, tests and treatment not covered by insurance. 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: SAR 83,666 to SAR 253,260 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 Saudi Arabia. The default salary is an illustrative figure for corporate employees; the latest official average for Saudi workers was SAR 10,238 a month (2018). 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 Saudi Arabia
Zora’s directory lists 10 clinics and 13 doctors in Saudi Arabia. The clinics are in cities including Jeddah and Riyadh.
Employees can browse clinics in Saudi Arabia and find a doctor in Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia
Sick leave
Employees get paid sick leave for the first 30 days, three-quarters of the wage for the next 60 days and unpaid leave for the following 30 days in a single year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development). There is no menopause leave.
Equal opportunity
Labour law amendments require employers to ensure equal opportunity and avoid discrimination on grounds including race, colour, sex, age, disability and marital status, and extended paid maternity leave to 12 weeks (Al Tamimi and Co). Menopause is not named.
Mandatory health insurance
Private employers must insure employees and their dependants and pay the full premium (commoner-law.com). Check whether your policy covers menopause consultations, tests and hormone therapy.
No menopause workplace rules
We have found no menopause-specific workplace law or guidance in Saudi Arabia. A written company policy is the clearest way to set expectations for managers.
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 Saudi employers have to give menopause leave?
No. There is no menopause leave. Employees use sick leave, annual leave or flexible arrangements unless their employer offers more.
How much sick leave do employees get?
Up to 120 days in a year: 30 days at full pay, 60 days at three-quarters pay and 30 days unpaid.
Is menopause covered by the 2025 anti-discrimination rules?
Not by name. The amendments ban discrimination on grounds including sex, age and disability, and some menopause-related situations may overlap with these.
Does mandatory health insurance cover menopause care?
It depends on the policy. Employers must insure employees and their dependants, but published rules do not specifically address menopause care.
At what age do Saudi women reach menopause?
In a study of 500 Saudi women in Riyadh, the mean age at menopause was 49.5.
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 Saudi Arabia 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 Saudi Arabia team. No obligation.
Sources
- Al Shahrani et al., Factors affecting age at menopause among Saudi women in Riyadh, Family Medicine and Primary Care Review, 2018 (500 women aged 45 to 65)
- GASTAT, Labour market statistics Q2 2025, September 2025
- Trading Economics, Saudi unemployment Q2 2026, September 2026
- GASTAT, Saudi workers’ monthly average wage, November 2018
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, Sick leave
- Al Tamimi and Co, Key amendments to Saudi Arabia’s labour law, August 2024
- commoner-law.com, Mandatory health insurance in Saudi Arabia
- Aon, Global Medical Trend Rates Report 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