We are so excited to announce that 1,000 employers have signed our Menopause Workplace Pledge, with new signatories including Aldi, McDonalds, Mastercard, The Federation of Small Businesses, the Civil Service, the House of Commons and NHS England.

This huge milestone comes only eight months after the campaign launched.

Other sign ups include the University of Portsmouth and the Florence Nightingale Foundation.

The Menopause Workplace Pledge campaign is raising awareness and encouraging employers to support their employees by enabling open and respectful conversations, committing to make workplace adjustments and providing information on the menopause.

At a special event earlier this month, senior ministers and civil servants including Minister for Women’s Health, Maria Caulfield, and Minister for Employment, Mims Davies, signed the pledge.

The campaign was also backed by Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid, who said: "This pledge will ensure women working across the civil service feel supported. I encourage other businesses to do the same – big companies, such as Asda and Thames Water, are already joining us with this pledge to make sure their workplaces have menopause strategies in place."

Mr Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle was joined by a host of celebrities the following week, including Mariella Frostrup, Penny Lancaster, Liz Earle, Lisa Snowdon and Carolyn Harris MP as he committed to making the House of Commons a menopause-friendly employer.

Sir Lindsay said: "I also want to break the taboo – just as we did with mental health issues – and get everyone in our parliamentary village talking about the menopause and offering support for those going through it.”

NHS England, which employs 1.3 million women, 75% of which are women, has introduced an internal menopause policy, including specific guidance on how line managers can support their staff experiencing the menopause.

Em Wilkinson-Brice, Acting Chief People Officer for the NHS, said: “This pledge demonstrates our commitment to supporting our incredible staff at all stages of their life and career and to delivering on our People Promise, which sets out in the words of our people what will most improve their working experience and make the NHS the workplace we all want it to be.”

Julie Lilley, CEO of the Federation of Small Businesses said: “I’m pleased that we’ve signed the Pledge; women over 50 are the fastest growing section of the workforce and it’s important that women get the support they need. “Employers and the economy are missing out on huge numbers of exceptionally talented women - and I want to do all I can to make sure that FSB isn’t going to miss out on that amazing pool of talent. “As an SME, we’ve always sought to recruit and retain the best expert staff team to support our small business members and this is a further step in that.”

Wellbeing for Women, in collaboration with Hello! Magazine, is calling on employers to sign the Menopause Workplace Pledge and support their colleagues going through the menopause.

Find out more about the campaign and how you can get involved.

Supported by Bupa.

Bottom photo credit: UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor