Menopause NI was founded by Siobhan Kearney to help organisations build the confidence and capability to support employees experiencing menopause.

With more than 25 years' experience in senior leadership, including almost seven years as Chief Executive of a leading mental health charity, Siobhan understands the realities organisations face. Supporting employees, leading teams, maintaining services and balancing competing priorities are part of everyday working life.

Through her own experience and her work with organisations, she recognised that many employers wanted to do more to support employees experiencing menopause but simply weren't sure where to start. What they needed was practical guidance that understood the realities of their workplace.

Today, Menopause NI works with organisations to develop practical, evidence-informed approaches that strengthen leadership and manager capability and improve support for employees experiencing menopause.

Menopause affects millions of women during their working lives and can influence physical health, emotional wellbeing, confidence and performance at work. While every woman's experience is different, the evidence consistently shows that menopausal symptoms can affect attendance, career decisions and participation at work.

The Department for Work and Pensions' 2025 literature review, which examined 42 UK studies published between 2016 and 2024, concluded that there is "considerable evidence" that menopausal symptoms can impair women's confidence and wellbeing at work and, for some, their ability to do their jobs effectively.

The review also found that workplace support remains inconsistent, many women are reluctant to seek support because of stigma, and the economic cost of menopause-related unemployment is estimated at around £1.5 billion each year, with additional costs associated with sickness absence and reduced productivity.

Research published by Balance , based on a survey of 3,800 perimenopausal and menopausal women, highlights the significant impact menopause symptoms can have on working lives:

• 99% said their perimenopausal or menopausal symptoms had negatively affected their careers. 
• 59% had taken time off work because of their symptoms. 
• 21% had passed up the opportunity to apply for a promotion they would otherwise have considered. 
• 19% had reduced their working hours. 
• 12% had resigned. 
• 60% said their workplace offered no menopause support.

Source: Balance, based on a survey of 3,800 perimenopausal and menopausal women. 

Workplace support matters. Greater awareness, better conversations and practical support can help people stay well, stay engaged and continue to progress in their careers.

The CIPD's Menopause in the Workplace research reinforces these findings from an employer perspective. It found that 67% of women said their menopausal symptoms had a negative impact at work, 53% had been unable to attend work because of their symptoms, and 27% believed menopause had negatively affected their career progression.

Together, these findings show that supporting employees experiencing menopause is not simply a wellbeing issue. It is also about helping experienced employees remain engaged, giving managers the confidence to respond appropriately and enabling organisations to retain valuable skills, knowledge and experience.

Our mission is simple: to help organisations turn good intentions into practical support for employees experiencing menopause.

We know that every organisation is different. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, and what works for one workplace may not work for another.

That's why we work alongside employers to understand their organisation, workforce and priorities, and help them identify what will make the biggest difference.

We want to make menopause support something organisations feel confident about - not something they know they should be doing but aren't sure how to put into practice.

There is no single approach to supporting menopause in the workplace.

Every organisation starts from a different place. Some are developing support for the first time, while others are looking to strengthen manager confidence, review existing arrangements or embed menopause more effectively within their wellbeing and people strategies.

That's why we begin by understanding your organisation, your workforce and your priorities before recommending the most appropriate approach.

Our support is practical and tailored to your organisation, helping you build confidence, strengthen capability and implement workplace support that is proportionate, achievable and sustainable.

Whether you're taking your first steps or building on existing work, we're here to help you work out what good menopause support looks like for your organisation — and how to put it into practice.