Menopause in the workplace: guidance for managers and HR

For line managers, HR and benefits leaders: support employees through menopause, meet legal duties and manage fairly.

For: Line managers, supervisors, HR business partners and benefits leaders in US organizations

  • 2 contact hours
  • 8 modules
  • 9 interactives
  • 4 job aids
  • Updated October 11, 2026

What you will be able to do

  • Explain why menopause is a workplace issue for retention, productivity and legal risk, and state accurately that no federal menopause-specific law exists.
  • Apply Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, the FMLA and current state and local menopause laws to workplace situations, distinguishing law, agency guidance and policy.
  • Conduct supportive, confidential conversations and agree on reasonable accommodations and flexible work options.
  • Manage attendance and performance fairly when menopause symptoms are a factor, and escalate to HR or legal at the right points.
  • Design a menopause policy, benefits review, training plan and action plan with appropriate measures.

Learn how federal law (Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA and the FMLA) and new state and local menopause laws apply at work, how to hold supportive and confidential conversations, which accommodations and flexible work options make sense, and how to manage attendance and performance fairly. You will finish with a policy starter, a benefits review checklist and a 90-day action plan.

Designed for managers, HR and benefits leaders in manufacturing, finance, healthcare, education, logistics and retail. Scenarios include an aerospace plant, a bank, a hospital system, a school district, a logistics floor and a multistate retailer.

There is no federal menopause law, and that is exactly why managers get it wrong in both directions. This course says so plainly, separates law from guidance and policy, covers Rhode Island's 2025 accommodation law and the Illinois and Philadelphia laws taking effect in 2027, and shows how simple support protects both people and the organization.

What you’ll be able to do Monday morning

  1. Open check-ins with work facts and an open question, never "Is it menopause?"
  2. Approve a fan, seat move or uniform option the same day it is requested.
  3. Check protected leave and get HR review before any attendance warning.
  4. Confirm whether any of your employees work in Rhode Island, Illinois or Philadelphia.
  5. Remove age- and sex-linked language from notes and reviews.

Curriculum

8 modules · 32 lessons · about 2 contact hours

01Why is menopause a management and HR issue?Free preview14 min
  1. The business case: retention, productivity and risk
  2. There is no federal menopause law, and that matters
  3. A manager's view of symptoms
  4. What good looks like
  • Sort activity: Law, guidance or policy?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

02Which federal laws apply to menopause at work?16 min
  1. Title VII: sex discrimination and harassment
  2. The ADEA: age discrimination
  3. The ADA: when symptoms or conditions may qualify
  4. Leave, pregnancy law and retaliation
  • Decision tree: Which legal frameworks might apply?

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

03What are states and cities doing about menopause at work?15 min
  1. Rhode Island: the first state accommodation mandate
  2. Illinois and Philadelphia: laws taking effect in 2027
  3. Broader state fair employment laws
  4. Building a state-aware approach
  • State rules selector: Menopause-specific state and local laws

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

04What do menopause-related disputes look like, and what can employers learn?15 min
  1. A case that shaped the conversation
  2. Common patterns in claims
  3. Answering Raymond's question
  4. What to document, and how
  • Spot the issue: Spot the risks in a write-up

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

05How do you have a supportive, confidential conversation?15 min
  1. Before the conversation
  2. During the conversation
  3. What to say, and what not to say
  4. After the conversation
  • Branching scenario: Halvor and Rosemarie

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

06What accommodations and flexible work options make sense?16 min
  1. Matching supports to symptoms and jobs
  2. Running a fair process
  3. "If we do it for her, we'll have to do it for everyone"
  4. Flexible work and protective equipment
  • Ethics dilemma: "We can't make exceptions"

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

07How do you manage performance and attendance fairly?15 min
  1. Attendance policies and health-related absence
  2. Performance: standards stay, support changes
  3. Consistency across the team
  4. When to escalate to HR or legal
  • Spot the issue: Spot the problems in an attendance memo

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

08How do you build a menopause policy, benefits review and action plan?16 min
  1. What a menopause policy should cover
  2. Reviewing benefits
  3. Training and culture
  4. A 90-day action plan
  • Self-assessment: Organizational readiness check
  • Spot the issue: Spot the gaps in a draft policy

Diagram · In practice checklist · 2-question knowledge check

Final assessment: 23 questions, 75% to pass, then your certificate

Try it now, no account needed

Halvor and Rosemarie

A branching scenario from this course. Your choices are not saved.

Free sample activity

Halvor and Rosemarie

You are Halvor, the production manager. Rosemarie, your most experienced technician, has rising attendance points and has asked to swap off the cure-oven line. You've asked to meet. What do you do?

Inside the course

Practice activities

  • Sort activity1
  • Decision tree1
  • State rules selector1
  • Spot the issue3
  • Branching scenario1
  • Ethics dilemma1
  • Self-assessment1

Job aids you keep

  • Manager and HR Menopause ChecklistChecklist
  • Menopause Support Policy (Starter)Policy starter
  • Menopause Scenario Worksheet for ManagersWorksheet
  • Menopause at Work: Federal and State Quick ReferenceReference sheet

Credit and approval status

Certificate of completion

This course awards a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It is not approved or accredited by any HR certification body, licensing board or continuing education accreditor. If your credential accepts self-reported learning, check with that body whether this course qualifies and keep your certificate as a record.

Pathways we may pursue include pre-approval for HR professional development credits from HR certification bodies. None exists today; the course page will show an approval only after it is granted.

Our full approvals list

State notes

There is no federal law specifically about menopause at work. State and local law is developing quickly. As of October 2026 we verified:

  • Rhode Island (in effect June 24, 2025): R.I. Gen. Laws 28-5-7.4, as amended by H 6161 / S 361, requires covered employers (generally 4+ employees) to reasonably accommodate menopause and related conditions, including managing vasomotor symptoms, unless undue hardship, without requiring a disability. Updated notices must be posted and distributed, and given within 10 days to an employee who reports the condition.
  • Illinois (effective January 1, 2027): the Menopause Equity and Care Act amends the Illinois Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination and harassment based on menopause-related conditions and require reasonable accommodation and notices. Confirm the employer-size threshold and notice details in the enacted text.
  • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (effective January 1, 2027): Bill No. 250849 amends the Fair Practices Ordinance to protect menstruation, perimenopause and menopause and require reasonable accommodation when symptoms substantially interfere with job performance, unless undue hardship.

All states have general fair employment laws, and many cover smaller employers or define disability more broadly than federal law (for example, California's FEHA generally applies at five employees). State and local paid sick leave laws may protect health-related absences. Check your state civil rights agency and review the law every six months.

Questions about this course

Does this course award continuing education credit?

No. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for 2 contact hours of instruction. It is not approved or accredited by any HR certification body, licensing board or accreditor. If your credential accepts self-reported learning, check with that body whether this course qualifies.

Who should take this course?

Line managers, supervisors, HR business partners and benefits leaders in US organizations. It focuses on legal touchpoints, supportive conversations, accommodations, fair attendance and performance management, and building a policy. All staff should take the companion menopause awareness course.

Is there a federal menopause law?

No. There is no federal law written specifically about menopause at work. Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA and the FMLA can still apply. Rhode Island has a menopause accommodation law in effect, and Illinois and Philadelphia have laws taking effect January 1, 2027. The course includes a state lookup and quick reference.

How current is the legal information?

The content was verified as of October 2026. Menopause law is changing quickly at state and local levels, so check with counsel before relying on any summary, and review your policies at least every six months.

How long does it take and how do I pass?

About two hours across eight modules with scenarios and job aids. The final assessment has 23 questions and a passing score of 75%, with feedback on every answer.

Is this legal or medical advice?

No. The course is general education. It does not replace advice from employment counsel or clinicians, and managers should never give treatment advice to employees.

This course is general education and training awareness from CE Courses Hub on menopause in the workplace for managers and HR. It is not legal, medical or professional advice and does not replace your employer's policies, your licensing board's rules, or advice from a qualified professional or employment counsel. Completing it earns a certificate of completion for the stated contact hours; it is not approved or accredited by any licensing board, state agency or accreditor unless an approval is shown on the course page. Check with your board, employer or state agency whether this course meets your specific requirement.