Voluntary menopause and gender pay gap reporting welcomed

From April 2026, organisations with over 250 employees across the UK will be expected to publish voluntary equality measures, before the requirement becomes mandatory next year under the Employment Rights Act 2025.

These equality measures include action plans on how employers will tackle gender pay gaps, and support staff experiencing the menopause.

The changes aim to move employers from just reporting on equality issues to actively tackling them.
While employers have been expected to publish gender pay gap data since 2017, these new plans will also require them to outline how they are actively addressing the gender pay gap in their organisation, as well the work they are doing to improve gender equality.

Jennifer Dean, Head of Equalities at Community said:

“It is great to see the government incentivising employers to act early around these vital equality issues, which affect millions of women across the UK each and every day.

“Community are proud of our longstanding campaigning on menopause and the impact it has on women at work. The changes introduced through the Employment Rights Act are clear evidence of how vital our campaigns are, and of the central role trade unions play in shaping national policy and driving meaningful change.

“We will be working closely with Community Equalities Representatives and employers to ensure our members are fully aware of these updates, while continuing to hold workplaces to account on reporting and taking real action to close the gender pay gap.”