Michigan Is Watching - Are You?

Written By Ruby Irons

~ What the Menopause Movement Means for Your Organization Right Now

 

The United Kingdom figured this out before we did.

While American employers are still debating whether menopause is even a workplace conversation worth having, British employers with 250 or more employees are now required to have formal, written Menopause Action Plans in place. It's documented. It's accountable. It has teeth.

We're not there yet in the US. But we're moving — faster than most employers realize — and Michigan is squarely in the middle of it.

The Numbers You Need to Know

Approximately 39 million women in the US workforce are currently experiencing or will soon experience perimenopause or menopause symptoms. That's not a niche demographic. That's nearly 30% of the American labor force. One in three working women.

A Mayo Clinic study put a price tag on what happens when we ignore this: $1.8 billion in lost productivity annually, driven by missed workdays, reduced hours, and employees pushing through symptoms without support. Add in related healthcare costs and the total economic impact exceeds $26 billion per year.

Here's what that looks like inside a workplace: only 8% of women are satisfied with their employer's menopause resources. Fewer than one in five feel comfortable enough to even bring it up at work. Research from Stanford shows that women who seek medical care for menopause-related symptoms see a 10% decline in earnings within four years — largely because they reduce hours or step back from demanding roles just to cope.


These are not women at the end of their careers. They're often mid-stride — experienced enough to lead, seasoned enough to mentor, and valuable enough that losing them isn't their personal failure — it's an organizational one.

I Know This Isn't Just Policy. I've Lived It.

Years ago, while working in HR at a large auto dealership, I started experiencing symptoms I didn't recognize. I knew what PMS was. But I sure didn't know what PMDD was, or that perimenopause could feel like your emotional floor was dropping — without warning, without explanation.

When I finally told my doctor that I couldn't stand the sound of my own boss's voice — a man I genuinely liked and had worked alongside for over ten years — I wasn't going crazy. I was undiagnosed, managing it alone, and doing my best to hold everything together. My doctor helped me identify what was happening, and we spent months dialing in treatment.

But at work, I was still struggling — with focus, energy, stability, and with simply getting through the day. When I admitted all of that on a team call, my new boss's response was silence. No follow-up. No FMLA conversation. No support of any kind.

I was eventually let go. The reason given: hard to work with. Hard to get to know.

Nobody ever asked why.

I was an HR professional. I knew the language, I knew the resources, and I still fell through the cracks. If it happened to me, it is happening to someone in your organization right now.

Where the Law Stands — and Where It's Headed

Rhode Island made history on June 24, 2025, becoming the first state in the nation to require employers to provide reasonable workplace accommodation for employees experiencing menopause and related conditions. The law applies to employers with four or more employees and treats menopause the way pregnancy has long been treated: as a legitimate condition deserving support, flexibility, and protection from discrimination. Accommodation can include flexible scheduling, remote work options, more frequent breaks, or easier access to a restroom.

Illinois, Louisiana, Oregon, and Washington have enacted laws requiring insurance coverage for menopause treatment. Philadelphia passed a local ordinance extending workplace protections as well. Rhode Island remains the only state with explicit workplace accommodation law — but California, New York, and New Jersey all have bills in progress, and the momentum is unmistakable.

Here in Michigan, four bills are currently working their way through the legislature:

  • HB 4790 and HB 4791 — focused on workplace policy and employer recommendations

  • HB 4814 — would require insurance coverage for menopause and perimenopause treatment

  • HB 4815 — would extend that coverage to Medicaid recipients

None have passed yet. The House is in recess until April 14, and realistically, passage — if it happens at all — is likely fall 2026 at the earliest. Bills can and do die in committee. These could be reintroduced in the next session, or they could stall entirely. That uncertainty is exactly the point. Michigan employers who wait for a law to tell them what to do may be waiting a long time — while the need inside their organizations is happening right now.

Why Getting Ahead of It Is Just Good Business

Here's where employers have a genuine opportunity, and it has nothing to do with compliance deadlines.

Research from Bank of America and the National Menopause Foundation found that women with access to menopause-supportive benefits are significantly more likely to recommend their employer as a great place to work. In a labor market where organizations compete for experienced talent, that matters.

Consider what a menopause-supportive workplace actually looks like in practice. Most of it costs very little:

  • A flexible scheduling policy that allows for appointments, difficult symptom days, or adjusted hours without penalty

  • Temperature considerations in the physical workspace — a fan, thermostat access, a cooler room option

  • A clear, private process for employees to request accommodation without having to explain themselves publicly

  • Health benefits that include coverage for menopause-related care — platforms like Maven, Progyny, and Midi Health are worth exploring with your benefits broker if you don't already have something in place

  • Manager training — and this one matters more than most employers realize

On that last point: a trained manager doesn't just wait for an employee to come forward. A trained manager knows what to look for. They recognize when someone who has historically been strong is suddenly struggling — with focus, with patience, with engagement — and they know how to open a door without forcing someone through it. Think about it this way: if a manager suspected an employee was in an abusive relationship, a good leader wouldn't ignore the signs and wait to be told. They'd already know where to direct that person, what resources exist, and how to have that conversation with care. Menopause deserves the same informed, human response. You need to be educated to spot it, and trained to coach your employee on possible next steps.

The Menopause Society has published a free employer guide — Making Menopause Work — that covers exactly how to build this kind of culture. They've also launched an Employer Designation program: a formal certification for organizations that meet established standards — similar to a veteran-friendly employer designation — which can be displayed in recruiting materials and used as a visible signal to job seekers. Fisher Phillips has published guidance on the business case and legal landscape if you want the compliance angle as well.

What This Means for You, Right Now

Michigan legislation may pass. It may not. Either way, your workforce isn't waiting.

If roughly 30% of working women are in some phase of the menopause transition, and you have even five or ten employees, the math is straightforward: this is already in your organization. The only question is whether the women experiencing it feel safe enough to say something — and whether you've built any structure to support them when they do.

You don't need a law to do the right thing. You don't need a formal Menopause Action Plan to start the conversation. But if you build one before you're required to — if you become known as the employer in your industry who already has this figured out — that reputation is worth more than any compliance checkbox.

The UK didn't wait for employers to sort this out on their own. Rhode Island didn't either.

 

You don't have to wait for Michigan to create the law to start building something great.

 

Resources & Links

Michigan Legislation


Employer Resources



Ruby Irons
Next

EEOC Rescinds 2024 Harassment Guidance