Zora Health / Employer guide / United Kingdom
Support your experienced employees through menopause, and help them stay at their best.
Poor sleep, fatigue and brain fog can hit your most experienced employees at the height of their careers, and many take time off or step back without telling their manager why. 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 UK HR leaders should know
- The average age of menopause in the UK is 51. The employment rate for women aged 50 to 64 was 69.1% in July 2026.
- In a CIPD survey of more than 2,000 employed women aged 40 to 60, 67% of those with symptoms said the effect on their work was mostly negative, and 53% had been unable to go to work because of them.
- In a 2022 Fawcett Society survey of 4,014 women aged 45 to 55, 10% of those who worked during menopause had left a job because of symptoms.
- Employers with 250 or more employees can now publish menopause action plans, which are due to become mandatory from spring 2027, subject to legislation.
- Menopause is not a protected characteristic, but the EHRC says symptoms can be a disability under the Equality Act 2010, triggering a duty to make reasonable adjustments.
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:
- Resignations. In the CIPD’s 2023 survey of more than 2,000 employed women aged 40 to 60, 6% had left work because of a lack of support and a further 17% had considered it (CIPD, October 2023).
- Lower performance and absence. In the same survey, 67% of those with symptoms said the effect on their work was mostly negative, and 53% could recall being unable to go to work because of them.
- Senior talent at risk. In the Fawcett Society’s survey of 4,014 women aged 45 to 55, 14% had reduced their hours and 8% had not applied for a promotion because of symptoms (Fawcett Society and Savanta ComRes, 2022).
- Unequal access. NHS care is free at the point of use, but specialist menopause appointments can involve waits, and private consultations cost £190 to £429 for a first appointment.
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 was 69.1% in July 2026 (ONS), so more of your experienced women will work through menopause. A written policy, trained managers and quick access to the right doctor can help address barriers that contribute to employee attrition.
Get ahead of menopause action plans
Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers with 250 or more employees can publish equality action plans that include at least one menopause action. Plans are voluntary for 2026 to 2027, with the first due by 4 April 2027 for private employers, and are expected to become mandatory from spring 2027, subject to legislation (GOV.UK, March 2026).
Make menopause support financially predictable
Aon projects UK medical trend at 12% for 2026 (Aon, via Healthcare and Protection), 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.
Zora helps employers set an annual allowance or outpatient top-up around NHS care and private medical 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 UK workforce?
What menopause care costs, and what the state pays
Most menopause care in the UK starts with a GP and, where suitable, hormone therapy on prescription. NHS care is free at the point of use; prescription charges apply in England.
| Item | Public support | What the employee still carries |
|---|---|---|
| NHS GP appointment | Free at the point of use | Waits for appointments and for specialist menopause clinics vary by area |
| Hormone therapy on prescription in England | HRT prescription prepayment certificate: £19.80 for 12 months, covering eligible HRT items | Without a certificate, £9.90 per item; not every HRT medicine is covered |
| Private menopause consultation | No public subsidy | £190 to £429 for a first consultation at listed private clinics; follow-ups from about £110 |
| Time off for appointments | Statutory sick pay of £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, from the first day of absence since 6 April 2026 | No statutory menopause leave; employer sick pay depends on the contract |
Prescription charges from GOV.UK and Community Pharmacy England (2026 to 2027). Private fees from My Menopause Centre and London Doctors Clinic. Statutory sick pay from GOV.UK. 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.
Most women do not know what support is available. A 2022 survey cited by the Government found only 19% of women knew what workplace support was on offer.
Source: Office for Equality and Opportunity, March 2026, which also recommends offering occupational health advice for employees experiencing menopause. 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 the UK:
- Is menopause support included as standard, or only fertility?
- What access do employees get to menopause specialists and hormone testing, and how quickly?
- How will the programme help us publish and deliver a menopause action plan under the Employment Rights Act 2025?
- 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 £600 roughly covers a private first consultation, a follow-up and an HRT prescription prepayment certificate. 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: £22,869 to £69,224 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 UK. The default salary is close to UK median full-time earnings (£40,911 in April 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 the United Kingdom
Zora’s clinic and doctor directory does not list providers in the United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom can still use Zora’s education and the Zora app. Ask us how your team in the United Kingdom would use Zora before you launch. See Zora’s employer guides for every country.
Rules and eligibility in the UK
Equality Act 2010 and EHRC guidance
Menopause is not a protected characteristic. The EHRC says symptoms can be a disability if they have a substantial, long-term effect on normal day-to-day activities, in which case employers must make reasonable adjustments. Women may also be protected from sex and age discrimination, harassment and victimisation (EHRC).
Menopause action plans
Section 33 of the Employment Rights Act 2025 lets regulations require employers with 250 or more employees to publish equality action plans, with menopause named as a gender-equality matter (legislation.gov.uk). Plans are voluntary now and expected to become mandatory from spring 2027, subject to legislation.
Flexible working from day one
Employees can make two flexible working requests in any 12 months from their first day, and the employer must decide within two months unless the employee agrees to longer (GOV.UK). For most HR teams, this is the first place menopause shows up.
Statutory sick pay
Statutory sick pay is £123.25 a week or 80% of average weekly earnings, whichever is lower, for up to 28 weeks, and is now paid from the first full day of absence with no waiting days (GOV.UK).
No statutory menopause leave
There is no menopause leave and no legal duty to have a menopause policy. In 2022 the Women and Equalities Committee recommended model policies and a trial of menopause leave (House of Commons); the action plan regime is the Government’s main response so far.
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 UK employers have to give menopause leave?
No. There is no statutory menopause leave. Employees use sick leave, annual leave or flexible working unless their employer offers more.
Is menopause a protected characteristic?
No. But the EHRC says symptoms can amount to a disability under the Equality Act 2010, and women may also be protected from sex and age discrimination, so employers should consider reasonable adjustments.
Do we need a menopause action plan?
Employers with 250 or more employees can publish one now, including at least one menopause action. Plans are due to become mandatory from spring 2027, subject to legislation, with the first voluntary plans due by 4 April 2027 for private employers.
Can an employee ask for flexible work because of menopause symptoms?
Yes. Since April 2024 employees can make two requests a year from their first day, and the employer must decide within two months unless the employee agrees to longer.
What does hormone therapy cost employees?
In England, an HRT prescription prepayment certificate costs £19.80 for 12 months and covers eligible HRT items. Private consultations cost more, which 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 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 UK 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 UK team. No obligation.
Sources
- NHS inform, Menopause
- CIPD, Menopause in the workplace: employee experiences in 2023 (more than 2,000 employed women aged 40 to 60)
- Fawcett Society and Savanta ComRes, Menopause and the Workplace, 2022 (4,014 women aged 45 to 55)
- House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, Menopause and the workplace, July 2022
- ONS, Employment rate for women aged 50 to 64 (LF2V)
- ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2026
- GOV.UK, HRT prescription prepayment certificate
- Community Pharmacy England, NHS prescription charges 2026 to 2027
- My Menopause Centre, Pricing
- London Doctors Clinic, Menopause consultations
- EHRC, Menopause in the workplace: guidance for employers
- Employment Rights Act 2025, section 33
- GOV.UK, Gender pay gap and menopause action plans, March 2026
- GOV.UK, Statutory sick pay
- GOV.UK, Flexible working
- Office for Equality and Opportunity, Offer occupational health advice for employees experiencing menopause, March 2026
- Healthcare and Protection, UK medical trend rate, Aon, November 2025
- 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