We host open and informative panel discussions about menopause in today’s workplace.

Are you ready to start Talking 12?

Our engaging 60-minute sessions are delivered live and in person, to whole-workforce audiences across the UK.

We banish myth and remove conversational barriers, so employers feel informed and confident about providing menopause support that:

meets the right legal obligations
reduces sickness absence
retains talented staff
attracts the best candidates
shows commitment to employee wellbeing

The best part?

Every member of our Talking 12 panel is a renowned expert at the top of her individual game: not just in HR and talent development, but in gynaecology, nutrition, psychiatry, and for welcome light relief, stand-up comedy!

Held in a familiar workplace environment (yours), a Talking 12 session combines personal experience with in-depth practical knowledge that leaves every question answered.

What does this mean?

You and your workforce will learn about the varied impacts of menopause at work, from credible professionals who know exactly what they’re talking about.

(We think you’ll enjoy it, too).

Learn what happens in a Talking 12 session and meet our expert panel.

Ready to start Talking 12?

Why Talking 12?

When it comes to menopause, 12 is the magic number.

A person – usually a woman aged between 45 and 55 – has officially entered menopause when they haven’t had a menstrual period for 12 consecutive months.

Yet this deceptively simple definition belies the intense fear, frustration, pain, and uncertainty many people feel in menopause and during its oft-complicated run-up: a period (pardon the pun) known as perimenopause.

Peri/menopause can last for years. They also come with a wealth of unfamiliar symptoms, most of which strike unexpectedly. To complicate things further, every person experiences peri/menopause differently.

Because of this, there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” when it comes to support. Treatments like Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can lessen menopausal symptoms, but not for everyone. Others can’t take HRT for medical or personal reasons.

Talking openly with experts is the best – and the most enjoyable – way for companies to understand the many impacts of peri/menopause: subjects that can feel scary and embarrassing to discuss at work.

As an employee, if you’re not sure whether menopause support is available, or even that menopause might count against you career-wise, you may keep quiet. But suffering in silence could ultimately mean leaving a job you love.

As an employer, ask yourself this question:

“If I thought a talented employee was struggling with menopause symptoms, what company support would I signpost?”

If you can’t answer that question with confidence (or at all!), you need Talking 12.

Just get in touch and leave the rest to us.

Why is Talking 12 so important?

Menopausal women have been viewed with suspicion throughout history. Nearly all of the 16th century witch trial victims were women over 50. In Victorian times, menopausal women were diagnosed with “climacteric insanity” and locked up in asylums.

While times have (thankfully!) changed, menopause largely remains a taboo subject for discussion, which leads to harmful misunderstanding and myth. In the UK alone there are around 13 million women at peri/menopause age. This represents a significant part of the workforce.

Yet many people don’t feel comfortable talking about their personal peri/menopause symptoms at work. We know that because of worrying statistics like these:

In 2023, a survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) concluded that 73% of working women aged 40-60 experience menopause symptoms, which affects their ability to stay and/or progress at work.
The same survey showed that only 24% of companies has a stated menopause policy or other support measures in place, and that over 10% of people feel discriminated against because of their menopause symptoms.
Research from The Fawcett Society shows that 1 in 10 women do in fact leave employment due to menopause symptoms.
Menopause-related employment tribunal cases have tripled since 2022, from 64 to 204 cases, with the number set to rise. Note that this figure only shows how many cases made it to court, not the estimated thousands of settlement agreements reached privately – and expensively – to avoid potentially damaging legal action.

Clearly, peri/menopause needs open discussion and greater workplace support. For many employers, providing that support is now a legal requirement.

Published in July 2025, the Employment Rights Bill states that companies with more than 250 employees are legally required to publish a Menopause Action Plan as part of their wider gender equality responsibilities.

This requirement will be mandatory from 2027. However, voluntary adoption is encouraged for all companies – including those with fewer than 250 employees – during 2026.

Even if your company is not legally required to implement a Menopause Action Plan right now, lack of care and support in this area could lead to associative breaches of other legislation, such as the Equality Act 2010 and the Health and Safety Act 1974.

For this reason, ACAS recommends that all employers “…should make sure they have steps, procedures and support in place to help staff affected by the menopause.”

With all that said, can your company afford not to talk about menopause?

Testimonials

"Working with Denise over recent years was an absolute pleasure. Her deep expertise in employment law consistently brought clarity to complex situations. Her mentoring style was supportive, empowering and impactful. Denise has a rare ability to combine strong technical knowledge with genuine care for people, making her an invaluable partner to any organisation."

Simone Oviedo

HR Business Partner, Proudfoot Consulting Firm

"Denise is highly credible and commercially focused senior HR professional with extensive generalist expertise across the full employee lifecycle. She combines deep technical knowledge with sound judgement and a calm pragmatic approach, particularly in complex and sensitive employee relations matters. Her ability to partner effectively with senior leaders ensures that people solutions are aligned to business priorities while maintaining a strong focus on fairness, risk management and organisational culture. In addition, her innovative approach to learning and development - including specialist support and training around menopause in the workplace - demonstrates her commitment to building inclusive high-performing organisations."

Kate Delmi

Head of HR/Consultant

"Denise mediated a workplace dispute in relation to myself with skill and professionalism. As a result of her strong knowledge of HR and employment law, Denise managed to negotiate a significant settlement for myself with my CEO at the time. In addition, with her vast network within the legal world, she was able to recommended a superb lawyer. The lawyer and I both agreed 'there were few better people to sit at the nexus between law and HR than Denise."

Mary Browne

Private Client

"Denise Fiddler is my go-to-HR expert. I've introduced her to clients and been advised by her myself. Pugnacious, tenacious and cost effective, she is the very person you need when looking at HR matters."

Julian Sampson

Founder Director Fulcrum Compliance

Find out more about our expert panel and about the many benefits of holding a Talking 12 session in your workplace.

Find out more about our expert panel
and about the many benefits of holding a
Talking 12 session in your workplace.