Employers should be ready to explain their menopause support to prospective employees, according to Frances Li, founder and director of Biscuit Recruitment.
Speaking during Menopause Awareness Month, Li predicts that candidates may increasingly ask about support before accepting a role, alongside questions about flexibility, parental leave and company culture. This is her assessment of a developing conversation, rather than a finding from a candidate survey.
Interviews are a two-way process, and candidates are assessing whether an organisation will give them the environment and support they need to have a successful career there.
Frances Li, Founder & Director, Biscuit Recruitment
From policy to practical support
Li argues that access to support, flexibility and workplace adjustments can influence whether an employee experiencing symptoms feels able to remain in a role and continue progressing.
She says an action plan should help people feel supported in practice, rather than become a policy exercise. The retention implications are particularly relevant where employers are seeking to keep experienced staff.
What employers can do now
Government guidance says organisations with 250 or more employees can publish voluntary equality action plans alongside gender pay gap information from April 2026.
For recruitment teams, the immediate opportunity is to make existing support easy to explain and access. Candidates should be able to understand the employee offer without being asked to disclose private health information.
Li leads Biscuit Recruitment, which specialises in permanent, temporary and contract business support appointments.
Illustrative stock photograph: Alena Shekhovtcova / Pexels. The people pictured are not the individuals quoted.
