Interview: New report reveals why menopause care is a “workplace necessity” — for employee health and company performance

Supporting women in the workplace with access to menopause care not only improves employee health but also boosts company performance, says a new report. CEO of sanoLiving, Angela Johnson, explains why menopause benefits are a “workplace necessity”.

A first-of-its-kind whitepaper published this month by sanoLiving, a digital health platform for women’s midlife care based in Canada, analyses real-world data from thousands of women using its flagship programme sanoMidLife.

The results show that having access to comprehensive menopause care helps women manage symptoms, improving their well-being and engagement at work. 

According to the findings, 80 per cent of women using the platform, which provides access to expert clinicians, personalised treatment plans, coaching, and digital tools, experienced an overall improvement in quality of life.

Over half (54 per cent) said their mood and emotional well-being improved, 70 per cent experienced an improvement in professional and personal relationships, and 50 per cent reported an improvement in their ability to perform at work.

The workplace impact of menopause 

Women in midlife represent a growing segment of the workforce, but despite 22 per cent of employees currently experiencing menopause, the workplace and economic impact is often overlooked. 

One in ten women leaves their job due to unmanaged menopause symptoms. A quarter miss days of work, 14 per cent reduce their working hours, and nine percent decline promotions or opportunities for career advancement. 

Women in their mid-40s also have higher disability and drug claims for conditions with symptoms that align with menopause.

Yet in a survey of 2,000 women in the UK, only a quarter said their organisation has menopause support measures in place.

Angela Johnson, CEO of sanoLiving, has likened the current challenges surrounding menopause in the workplace to those around mental health two decades ago.

“Historically, mental health issues were stigmatised, leading many employees to suffer in silence for fear of being perceived as weak or incapable. Similarly, menopause has been a taboo subject, with many women reluctant to disclose their symptoms due to concerns about being labeled incompetent or less capable,” she tells Femtech World.

“This reluctance is compounded by a lack of understanding and support within organisational cultures. For instance, many women are particularly embarrassed to experience visible menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, at work, fearing that being visibly “outed” as menopausal might harm their careers.”

Lack of education and understanding 

Societal conditioning has also resulted in women expecting and tolerating discomfort such as that associated with menstruation, childbirth and menopause, which Johnson describes as a “normalisation” of suffering, where symptoms are endured “silently and without support”. 

The absence of open dialogue and education about menopause— as well as the lack of understanding among healthcare professionals (in Canada, only 6.8 per cent of Family Medicine and OB-GYN residents feel adequately prepared to treat menopause) — means many women may not even be aware that this is what they are experiencing. 

The limited understanding in the medical community has extended into the insurance and workplace benefits sectors, Johnson says. This “failure to connect the dots” between rising employer healthcare costs and the lack of effective care for women contributes to increased claim expenses and “inadequate support for affected employees.”

“Rising benefit costs—driven in part by midlife women’s unmet health needs—make menopause support a workplace necessity,” she continues. 

“When employers provide access to expert care—not just policies and accommodations— women can manage symptoms and stay productive. Our hope is that this report will equip Canadian employers with concrete outcomes data to build a compelling business case for adopting a holistic approach to menopause support.”

Employers must “move beyond” awareness campaigns 

However, Johnson is wary of increased awareness without tangible action.

In developing sanoLiving, the team engaged with a number of UK organisations that have implemented workplace menopause initiatives over the past decade. The findings revealed that without easy access to expert care, “well-intentioned” awareness initiatives and policies focused on reducing stigma can lead to unintended consequences, such as women becoming more apprehensive about disclosing symptoms out of fear of being perceived as less competent or overlooked for promotions. Some chose to manage their symptoms privately as a result, leading to increased absenteeism and loss of productivity.

“Implementing workplace policies that raise awareness about menopause without providing tangible access to care can be perceived as inauthentic,” Johnson says, urging organisations to learn this “critical lesson” from the evolution of mental health support in the workplace.

“Such an approach mirrors past shortcomings in addressing mental health, where initial efforts focused on dialogue without offering concrete support, leading employees to feel unsupported despite the rhetoric. Similarly, in the context of menopause, awareness initiatives must be complemented by accessible healthcare benefits to ensure genuine support for employees,” she says.

“Without integrating specialised menopause care into benefits programs, organisations risk fostering an environment where employees may feel their needs are acknowledged but not adequately addressed, potentially leading to decreased morale and productivity. To authentically support employees experiencing menopause, it is crucial for employers to move beyond awareness campaigns and implement comprehensive benefits that provide real solutions.”

Ensuring menopause care is a standard workplace benefit 

Providing menopause benefits is not just about employee health, though. As SanoLiving outlines in its whitepaper, it’s a strategic business decision. Companies that offer targeted medical care, coaching, and digital tools see stronger workforce performance, which leads to higher retention and better health outcomes, helping to control rising benefit costs. 

Through building partnerships with employers, insurers, and benefits providers, sanoLiving aims to make comprehensive menopause care a standard workplace benefit, rather than an out-of-pocket luxury. 

“For too long, women have been disproportionately underserved in healthcare and left to cover essential services themselves—creating an inequity we’re committed to ending,” Johnson adds. 

“By demonstrating the measurable health and economic impact of our approach, we hope to remove the financial barriers that have historically kept women from accessing the care they need, ensuring menopause support doesn’t become the next ‘tampon tax’.”