Health & Wellness . Perimenopause
Perimenopause at Work: What to Do When Your Usual Day Feels Harder
When your concentration, comfort or confidence feels different, begin with one practical need and a clearer conversation about support.
Losing your place in a meeting, feeling uncomfortable in a warm room, or finding a familiar shift harder can unsettle your confidence. Start with what has changed and what would make this part of the day easier.
Perimenopause can affect sleep, mood and concentration at work. Experiences vary, and new difficulties should not automatically be attributed to hormones. NHS: menopause symptoms
A place to begin
How perimenopause can affect your work
Identify one difficult part of your workday, describe its practical impact and choose one change to discuss. You do not need to arrive with every answer.
Perimenopause and concentration at work: name the difficult moment
“I cannot cope at work” may capture how a day feels, but it can be difficult to turn into a useful request. A specific example gives you and the person supporting you somewhere to start.
Try finishing these three sentences:
- The difficult moment is: “Following several spoken instructions during a busy handover.”
- The effect on my work is: “I spend extra time checking what was agreed.”
- A change worth discussing is: “Could we use a short written handover checklist?”
Other examples might be an overheated workstation, back-to-back calls or difficulty taking a break during a long shift.
These notes are for clarity, not for proving that you deserve support. Keep them brief and avoid including confidential customer, patient or colleague information in a personal journal.
Consider what would help in your actual role
A useful change for someone at a desk may not suit someone in a classroom, shop, clinic or warehouse. Acas advises employers to consider both the working environment and the demands of the role, including temperature, uniforms, breaks and access to facilities. Acas: supporting workers
The following are examples to consider and discuss, rather than guaranteed solutions or entitlements.
Make information easier to return to
If you keep losing the thread of a task, you could try a single place for current priorities, a brief written summary after a meeting or a checklist for a recurring process.
For example: “Before we finish, could we confirm the two priorities and who is doing what?”
Start with the point where information is getting lost. Adding another app, notebook and colour-coded system may create more work than it removes.
Look at physical comfort
If heat or discomfort is part of the problem, discuss the workspace, access to drinking water or suitable uniform options. Changes must fit the role's safety and hygiene requirements. Acas: supporting workers
Be concrete: “The workstation beside the heater is difficult for me. Could we look at another position?” is easier to explore than “The environment is not working.”
Identify where the pace becomes difficult
Rather than asking yourself to work faster on a difficult day, identify the bottleneck. Is it the rapid switch between calls? A handover with too much information at once? A task repeatedly interrupted?
A possible request might be: “Could we agree a protected half-hour for this report?” Where practical, changes to breaks, hours or duties may also be worth discussing. Acas: talking with workers
If tiredness or another symptom could affect safety, raise it promptly through your workplace's safety procedures. Do not rely on a productivity technique to manage a safety concern.
Ask for priorities when everything feels urgent
You do not have to disclose personal health information to ask which task should come first.
Try: “I can complete A today, or move B forward. Which is the priority, and what can wait?”
This does not resolve an excessive workload by itself. It gives you a clear starting point for a conversation about what is achievable.
How to talk to your manager about perimenopause
You may want to speak to your manager. If that feels difficult, check whether HR, occupational health, a union representative or a menopause or wellbeing contact is available.
Acas recommends sensitive, private conversations and agreement about what information can be shared and with whom. Ask how any notes will be handled rather than assuming that a conversation is automatically confidential in every respect. Acas: talking with workers
You could say:
“I am experiencing symptoms that are affecting my concentration and comfort at work. The main difficulty is ___. Could we discuss trying ___, then review whether it is helping? I would also like to agree what information needs to be shared and with whom.”
If you want to name perimenopause, do. If you are not ready to, you can start with the symptoms and work impact. Further information may be needed to assess particular support; ask why it is needed and how it will be used.
You do not need to hand over your full personal symptom diary. A short work-focused summary may be more useful.
Turn a conversation into a clear next step
Before finishing, check that you understand:
- What change has been agreed, and when it will begin.
- Who will arrange it.
- When you will discuss whether it is helping.
- Who to contact if something becomes difficult sooner.
Acas advises recording agreed changes and following up. Acas: talking with workers
A simple review question is: “Has this made the difficult part of my day more manageable?” The answer may be yes, partly or not yet. That is information for the next conversation, not a pass-or-fail result.
Perimenopause and your rights at work (UK)
In Great Britain, menopause is not a separate protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. However, unfair treatment connected with menopause may involve discrimination linked to protected characteristics. Symptoms can meet the legal definition of disability in some circumstances; where that applies, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Acas: menopause and discrimination
The position depends on individual circumstances. A particular arrangement, such as working from home, is not automatically guaranteed. If support is refused or you are concerned about unfair treatment, seek advice from Acas, your union or a qualified adviser. For Northern Ireland, use the Labour Relations Agency for local employment advice.
Workplace support and healthcare can happen together
Practical changes at work do not replace assessment or treatment. If symptoms are affecting your daily life, speak with a GP or an appropriate healthcare professional. You can discuss menopausal symptoms and available treatment options without having to solve the workplace situation first. NHS: treatment
It may help to separate two sets of notes: what you want to discuss about your health, and what you need from your working environment.
Frequently asked questions
Can perimenopause affect concentration at work?
Yes. Perimenopause can involve memory and concentration difficulties, sometimes described as brain fog. Sleep problems can make these feel worse. Experiences vary, and new difficulties should not automatically be attributed to hormones. If symptoms are affecting your daily life, speak with a GP or an appropriate healthcare professional. NHS: menopause symptoms
How do I talk to my manager about perimenopause?
Ask for a private conversation. Describe one specific difficulty, its effect on your work and a change you would like to discuss. Agree what information can be shared, with whom and when you will review any changes. If speaking to your manager feels difficult, check whether HR, occupational health, a union representative or a menopause or wellbeing contact is available. Acas: workplace conversations
Do I need to share my full symptom diary at work?
You can begin with a short, work-focused summary rather than handing over your full personal diary. Explain the symptoms or difficulties that affect your role and the support you want to discuss. If further health information is requested to assess support, ask why it is needed, who will see it and how it will be handled. Acas: workplace conversations
What changes can I ask for at work?
Depending on your role, changes to temperature, ventilation, uniforms, breaks, hours or duties may be worth discussing. The article also suggests written handover notes and clearer priorities. Start with the task or situation that is difficult. Suitable arrangements depend on individual needs and the role’s requirements; a particular change is not automatically guaranteed. Acas: supporting workers
Is perimenopause covered by the Equality Act?
In Great Britain, menopause is not a separate protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. Unfair treatment connected with symptoms may involve discrimination linked to a protected characteristic. Symptoms can meet the legal definition of disability in some circumstances; where that applies, employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments. Seek advice about your individual situation from Acas, your union or a qualified adviser. For Northern Ireland, contact the Labour Relations Agency. Acas: menopause and discrimination
Should I speak to a GP as well as asking for workplace support?
Yes, if symptoms are affecting your daily life or you want to understand your options. Workplace changes and healthcare can happen together. Practical support at work does not replace assessment or treatment, and you do not need to resolve the workplace situation before speaking with a healthcare professional. NHS: when to contact your GP
Your next step
A little structure for your next conversation
The Perimenopause Clarity Plan is a 94-page downloadable PDF with practical pages you can use at your own pace.
- 30-day tracker: record symptoms, their impact and what seems to help.
- Appointment brief and questions: organise your observations before a healthcare conversation.
- Workplace conversation plan: prepare a specific request, decide what you want to share and note the review date.
It is a general reflection and planning guide, not a workplace legal handbook. Choose the pages that are useful to you, and keep your personal health notes private unless you decide to share them.
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