There is a talent crisis hiding in plain sight.

Women in their 40s and early 50s represent some of the most experienced, skilled, and senior employees in any organization. They are at the height of their careers. And many of them are quietly struggling through a biological transition that most workplaces have never once acknowledged.

Perimenopause and menopause are not edge cases. They are a universal experience that will touch every woman who works for you, has worked for you, or will work for you. The question is not whether this is your organization's issue. The question is whether you are going to do something about it.

What we are actually talking about

Perimenopause is not a moment. It is a transition that can begin in a woman's mid-30s and last anywhere from 2 to 15 years before menopause is reached. Menopause itself is defined as 12 consecutive months without a period. The symptoms that accompany this transition can include more than 30 distinct presentations, including hot flashes, sleep disruption, brain fog, anxiety, joint pain, mood changes, and fatigue. For many women, they are not mild inconveniences. They are career-altering.

"Menopause is not a one-size-fits-all experience," says Ala, a co-founder of My Village. "Every woman's journey looks different based on her body, her lifestyle, her history. What she needs from the people around her, at home and at work, is going to be just as individual."

What is not individual is the timing. This transition arrives precisely when women are in senior roles, leading teams, and making high-stakes decisions. A recent Fast Company investigation found that women across industries are struggling silently through symptoms while managing demanding careers, with many stepping back or leaving entirely, not because they want to, but because nobody around them built a culture where staying felt possible. (Fast Company)

The numbers make the case

The data speaks for itself:

• Nearly 90% of women say menopause symptoms impact their work, but 62% have avoided taking time off because menopause is not recognized in workplace policy (Hone Health)
• 46% of Canadian women say they were unprepared for menopause despite 95% experiencing an average of seven or more symptoms (Menopause Foundation of Canada)
• Research cited in a UK Parliament inquiry found that around 900,000 women in the UK have left their jobs due to menopause symptoms (UK Parliament, Women and Equalities Committee)
• A 2024 global Catalyst survey found that 84% of women want better menopause support at work, and 1 in 10 has turned down a job because an employer offered none (Catalyst)

The double cost of staying silent

When workplaces have no language, no policy, and no culture around perimenopause and menopause, two things happen. Women suffer through symptoms without support. And organizations lose talent, institutional knowledge, and productivity while having no idea why.

Most women are not asking for special treatment. They are asking to be seen. Over 65% have never discussed their symptoms at work because they fear being perceived differently or facing age or gender based bias. They show up, push through, and say nothing. The cost of that silence falls on them personally and on the organizations that could have kept them.

What organizations can actually do

You do not need an elaborate program to start. You need intention, and a willingness to act on it.

Start the conversation out loud

Normalizing perimenopause and menopause at work begins with leaders who are willing to say the words in a meeting without discomfort. When senior leaders speak openly about this as a workforce issue, it signals to every woman in the organization that she does not have to manage this alone or in secret. That signal matters more than most leaders realize.

Name it in your policies

Most workplaces have parental leave, mental health days, and flexible work arrangements. Very few have anything that specifically acknowledges perimenopause or menopause. Naming it in existing time-off and accommodation policies, even briefly, sends a clear signal that women do not have to cite an unrelated reason to access the support they need. Flexibility in scheduling and remote options are among the most impactful and low-cost changes an organization can make.

Hone Health, a US longevity and telehealth company, has made its menopause accommodation policy public and launched the Menopause Time Off initiative, a public coalition advancing menopause-inclusive leave. Their free employer toolkit is a practical starting point for any organization ready to act. (Download here)

Cover treatment access

One of the most meaningful things an employer can do is ensure that perimenopause and menopause care is covered in health benefits. Fewer than 20% of primary care physicians receive menopause training, which means many women are navigating significant symptoms without access to informed care. Expanding benefits to include telehealth providers who specialize in this area, or partnering with platforms that fill that gap, makes a measurable difference in both employee wellbeing and retention.

Train your managers

Most managers, including well-meaning ones, simply do not know enough to respond well when a team member is struggling. When only one third of women feel comfortable talking to a male manager about menopause, that is a workplace inclusion problem that costs businesses productivity, talent retention, and culture. (REBA) Manager training does not need to be elaborate. It needs to be honest, practical, and delivered without stigma.

Build it into your culture, not just your policy

Policy without culture change does not move the needle. Organizations that are getting this right are hosting awareness sessions, creating employee resource groups, inviting expert speakers, and making it normal for people to talk about perimenopause and menopause in mixed settings without discomfort. When that culture exists, women stay. When it does not, they leave quietly and organizations rarely connect the dots.

Resources by region

If you are ready to move from intention to action, these organizations offer free or accessible tools for employers.

Canada: The Menopause Foundation of Canada runs the Menopause Works Here campaign and offers a free Menopause Inclusive Workplace Playbook with a practical five-step guide for employers.

United States: The Menopause Society's Making Menopause Work initiative provides free downloadable resources developed by healthcare professionals, researchers, and labor experts. Catalyst also offers a free menopause support toolkit for managers and HR leaders.

United Kingdom: The Equality and Human Rights Commission published employer guidance in 2024 covering legal obligations and practical support. Peppy and Fertifa both offer employee benefit platforms that include menopause care.

Australia: Sonder provides workplace guidance for leaders, and the Australasian Menopause Society offers practical resources for both employees and employers.

Global: Catalyst's HR Guide to Global Workplace Menopause Support covers multiple countries and is designed specifically for HR leaders working across regions.

The workplace is part of the solution

Women spend a significant portion of their perimenopause and menopause years at work. What happens in those environments, whether they feel safe, whether they feel supported, whether they feel they can stay, matters enormously. The workplace is not separate from this conversation. It is central to it.

We built My Village to help women understand their own patterns, log their symptoms, and walk into their healthcare provider's office with the data they need to advocate for themselves. The app is one piece. The other piece is the culture that surrounds them. And that is something organizations have the power to build right now.

The organizations that get ahead of this will retain experienced talent, build stronger cultures, and signal clearly that they take the full arc of women's working lives seriously. The cost of inaction is already showing up in your retention numbers, your leadership pipeline, and your culture. You just may not have connected the dots yet.