1. The 60-second mindset

• You are not being asked to fix anyone's hormones. You are being asked to keep a good employee at her best.
• You do not need medical knowledge. You need to listen, agree practical adjustments, and follow up.
• Most asks will be small (a fan, a meeting moved, a quiet room). Most ROI is huge (retention, performance, trust).

2. The first conversation — do this

1. Thank them for telling you. It probably took more than you'd guess.
2. Move to a private space or rebook the meeting if needed. Not the open-plan corner.
3. Ask what would help. "What are the one or two things that would make the biggest difference right now?"
4. Agree two or three adjustments to try. Write them down before the meeting ends.
5. Book a review point in 4–6 weeks.
6. Confirm confidentiality. "This stays between us and HR if we need them."
7. Send a short summary email the same day: adjustments agreed, review date.

3. Do not say this

• "Aren't you a bit young for that?" (You don't know her age. You don't need to.)
• "My wife went through that, it was a nightmare." (Not about you or her.)
• "Maybe you need to reduce your hours." (She didn't ask for that.)
• "Are you sure it's not just stress?" (You are not a doctor.)
• "Have you tried HRT?" (You are still not a doctor.)
• Anything that names her menopause status to a colleague without explicit permission.

Do say this

• "Thank you for telling me."
• "What would help right now?"
• "Let's agree two or three things to try."
• "I'll send you a note today summarising what we agreed."
• "Let's review in a month. If anything isn't working before then, come back."

Follow-up checklist (4–6 weeks later)

• Are the adjustments actually in place?
• Are they working? What needs to change?
• Has anything new come up?
• Is HR support needed (formal accommodation, occupational health, time off)?
• Is there a recurring scheduling pattern that's making things harder than it needs to be?

4. 45-minute manager training outline

Designed to be facilitated by HR or an ERG lead with a group of 6–20 line managers. Print one copy of this page per attendee, plus one copy of Part 1 (Manager conversation script + adjustments request) for context.

Minute 0–5 · Frame

• Three numbers on a slide: 1 in 10 UK women have left a job over menopause symptoms (ONS, 2022). 8 in 10 employers have no support (Fawcett, 2022). US estimates $1.8B+/yr lost productivity (Mayo / NAMS).
• This session is not medical. It's about retaining good people.

Minute 5–15 · What's actually happening

• Read out the recognised symptoms list (from the HR policy template).
• Group reflection: which of these are hardest to talk about at work, and why?

Minute 15–25 · The first conversation

• Walk through Section 2 (do this) and Section 3 (do / don't say).
• In pairs (2 minutes each): one person reads the employee script aloud (from Part 1), the other practises the response.

Minute 25–35 · Reasonable adjustments

• Walk through the adjustments menu in the HR policy template.
• Group discussion: which of these can you authorise on the spot? Which need HR? Which need facilities?

Minute 35–42 · Edge cases

• What if a colleague tells you "by the way" in a corridor?
• What if a request feels too large?
• What if you suspect symptoms but the employee hasn't disclosed?
• What if a complaint of discrimination is raised?

Minute 42–45 · Commitments

• Each manager writes one thing they'll do differently in the next 30 days.
• Share the toolkit link (asknila.com/work-toolkit) for follow-up.