Zora Health / Employer guide / Sri Lanka
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Backache, joint pain and night sweats affect most Sri Lankan women after menopause, and in one study 38% of working women said symptoms interfered with their job. 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 Sri Lanka HR leaders should know
- In a national survey of 914 women, the average age at natural menopause was 48.4.
- In the same survey, 74.1% reported backache, 67.7% joint pain and 57.0% night sweats.
- In a study of working women, 38% said menopause symptoms interfered with their job duties.
- Women’s labour force participation was 32.4% in 2025, against 69.1% for men.
- The Shop and Office Employees Act gives 7 days of casual leave a year for ill health or other reasons. There is no menopause leave.
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:
- Pain and poor sleep. In a survey of 914 postmenopausal women across all provinces, 74.1% reported backache, 67.7% joint pain, 57.0% night sweats and 53.3% insomnia (Open University of Sri Lanka, 2022).
- Concentration. In the same survey, 45.6% reported memory problems and 33.0% difficulty concentrating.
- Work affected. In a study of 403 women, 38% of those employed outside the home said symptoms interfered with their job duties (Ceylon Medical Journal, 1999).
- Quality of life. In a 2019 study in Galle District, quality of life was significantly lower among postmenopausal women, and 53% reported physical and mental exhaustion (Nursing Research and Practice, 2019).
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 was 32.4% in 2025 (Department of Census and Statistics), so each experienced woman you employ is hard to replace. 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
Hatton National Bank and CIC Holdings launched a three-year women’s health programme for employees that includes menopause (Business Cafe, November 2024). A clear offer, explained in your benefits pack, helps you compete for senior women.
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects Sri Lanka’s medical trend at 6.5% for 2026, rising to 14.3% in 2027 (Aon, October 2026). 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 public care and your group health plan, 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 Sri Lanka workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Public health services are free at the point of use, but the private sector handles much of outpatient care, mostly paid out of pocket.
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| Public hospitals and clinics | Free at the point of use, on a walk-in basis | Waiting times |
| Private outpatient care | Not covered by the public system | Consultation and medicine costs; out-of-pocket payments were 54.8% of health spending in 2023 |
| Time off for appointments | 7 days of casual leave a year with full pay for ill health or other reasons | No separate statutory sick leave or menopause leave |
From Globalization and Health, 2019, the World Bank and the Department of Labour. We could not confirm 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.
38% of working Sri Lankan women in one study said menopause symptoms interfered with their job.
We have found no menopause workplace law or guidance in Sri Lanka. 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 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 Sri Lanka:
- 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 help employees reach private specialists confidentially, given how much outpatient care is paid out of pocket?
- 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 LKR 50,000 is an illustrative figure for private consultations, tests and 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: LKR 1,673,325 to LKR 5,065,200 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 Sri Lanka. The default salary is illustrative. There is no official average salary figure; the national minimum wage is LKR 30,000 a month from 1 January 2026. 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 Sri Lanka
Zora’s clinic and doctor directory does not list providers in Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka can still use Zora’s education and the Zora app. Ask us how your team in Sri Lanka would use Zora before you launch. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in Sri Lanka
Leave
Under the Shop and Office Employees Act, employees get 14 days of annual leave with full pay from their second year and up to 7 days of casual leave a year for private business, ill health or other reasonable cause (Department of Labour, October 2026).
Equality and flexible work
The World Bank found no provisions prohibiting gender discrimination in employment, allowing flexible work requests or requiring equal pay for work of equal value (Women, Business and the Law 2024).
No menopause workplace rules
We have found no menopause-specific workplace law or guidance in Sri Lanka. 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 employers in Sri Lanka have to give menopause leave?
No. There is no menopause leave. Employees use casual leave, annual leave or flexible arrangements unless their employer offers more.
Is there statutory sick leave in Sri Lanka?
Not separately. The Shop and Office Employees Act gives 7 days of casual leave a year, which covers ill health.
How common are menopause symptoms in Sri Lanka?
In a survey of 914 women, 74.1% reported backache, 67.7% joint pain and 57.0% night sweats.
At what age do Sri Lankan women reach menopause?
In a survey of 914 women across all provinces, the average age was 48.4.
Is menopause care free in Sri Lanka?
Public services are free at the point of use, but much outpatient care is private and paid out of pocket.
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 Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka team. No obligation.
Sources
- Siriwardana, Banneheka and Abeysena, Open University of Sri Lanka, 2022 (914 women)
- Rathnayake et al., Nursing Research and Practice, 2019 (350 women)
- Perimenopausal symptoms in Sri Lankan women, Ceylon Medical Journal, 1999 (403 women)
- Department of Census and Statistics, Labour Force Survey 2025
- Kumar, Globalization and Health, 2019
- World Bank, Out-of-pocket expenditure, 2023
- Department of Labour, Salary, wages and leave
- World Bank, Women, Business and the Law 2024: Sri Lanka
- Business Cafe, HNB and CIC women’s health programme, November 2024
- National Minimum Wage of Workers (Amendment) Act, No. 11 of 2025
- Aon, APAC medical cost growth, October 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