Unison: The menopause is a workplace issue - guidance and model policy

employers. The general equality duty means
that public sector employers must give ‘due
regard’ to the need to:
1. eliminate unlawful discrimination,
harassment and victimisation
2. advance equality of opportunity
between people who share a protected
characteristic and those who do not,
which involves:
• removing or minimising disadvantages
suffered by people due to their protected
characteristics
• taking steps to meet the needs of people
from protected groups where these are
different from the needs of other people
• encouraging people from protected
groups to participate in public life or in
other activities where their participation is
disproportionately low
3. foster good relations between people who
share a protected characteristic and those
who do not.
The protected groups are those as defined
within the Equality Act, so clearly the issue
of women experiencing the menopause is
included within the duty.
One of the ways in which an organisation
can show that it has given ‘due regard’ to
these issues is to carry out an equality impact
assessment (EIA) of both external policies
affecting service users, customers and clients
and internal policies affecting the employees.
Health and Safety at
Work Act 1974 and The
Management of Health and
Safety at Work Regulations
1999
The Act requires employers to ensure the
health, safety and welfare of all workers. The
Regulations require employers to assess
the risks of ill health (including stress related
conditions) arising from work-related activities,
ensuring that the hazards are removed or
proper control measures are put in place
to reduce the risk so far as is reasonably
practical.
Therefore employers should include the
consideration of specific risks for women
experiencing the menopause.
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