The HR Hero

13/10/2026

Structure does not have to mean a formal policy suite on day one. A short, agreed process is enough to start.

Notice a change. Ask a direct question. Write down what is agreed. Put a date in the diary to check how it is going.

That is roughly what larger organisations pay occupational health providers and HR teams to do.

There is no reason a smaller business cannot do the first two steps just as well, often better, because you actually know the person involved.

Get our Menopause at Work Resource Pack, with a menopause policy and practical guidance for managers and employees: https://www.thehrhero.co.uk/product-page/menopause-at-work-resource-pack

12/10/2026

Menopause and pain are not just a large-employer problem.

In a team of six, one person having an unpredictable bad week is immediately visible and immediately felt by everyone covering for her.

There is no large pool of colleagues to absorb the gap. Most small businesses also have no in-house occupational health function, no dedicated HR team and no ready-made policy for fluctuating conditions.

It falls to you, or a line manager with no formal HR training, to notice, ask the right question and decide what happens next. That is why a little structure helps more here, not less.

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08/10/2026

I want to flag two things I would like every manager and business owner to know.

Migraines can get worse, or start for the first time, in someone's forties or fifties.

And conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis or endometriosis can flare up during perimenopause.

Often the only sign is someone saying they are having a bad week, and a few more days off than usual.

What would you do if a team member told you that?

Get our Menopause at Work Resource Pack, with a menopause policy and practical guidance for managers and employees:

According to the British Menopause Society, three quarters of women in the UK say that the menopause has caused them to change their lives. 47% of women who needed to take a day off work due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn't tell their employer the real reason. 38% of partners say they feel he...

07/10/2026

Menopause-related pain does not always look like an injury or arrive with a clean diagnosis.

Joint and muscle pain that was not there before is a common pattern, often worse first thing in the morning and easing slightly through the day.

It is easy to put down to ageing, an old injury or a busy life. An employee may not connect it to menopause at all, and you may not either.

If someone in their forties or fifties mentions new aches, ask whether it is affecting their work and what would help before assuming anything else.

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06/10/2026

I keep coming back to this scenario. Someone on your team has been quieter for months.

A bad back, a migraine, a day off here and there, and then her work starts to slip.

It is very easy to wonder whether she has lost interest. I would ask a different question first: could she be in perimenopause and in pain?

Have you ever had a situation like this that you only understood later?

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05/10/2026

October is Menopause Awareness Month, and World Menopause Day falls on 18 October.

This year the International Menopause Society has chosen chronic pain at midlife as its global theme.

That is a deliberate choice. Most workplace conversations about menopause focus on hot flushes, brain fog and mood.

Pain tends to appear as one line in a longer list, somewhere between joint aches and fatigue, and then gets no further attention.

For many women it is the symptom that actually stops them working properly. If you run a business or manage a team, this is the month to look at what you might be missing.

Read more on this month's blog:

One of your team has been quieter than usual for months. She's taking the odd day off here and there. A bad back. A migraine. Just not right today. Nothing dramatic enough to flag, nothing that quite adds up to a conversation. Then her performance starts to slip. She's slower to respond to emails, s...

01/10/2026

Here is one thing you can cross off your October list. You may have seen that employers must tell workers in writing about their right to join a trade union, and that this was due on 30 October.

The government has updated its timetable and now expects that duty in January 2027, so keep it in mind for the new year.

October is busy enough with the tribunal time limit, union access and the tougher harassment duty.

What is at the top of your list this month?

30/09/2026

A trade union cannot simply turn up and do whatever it likes, but from 30 October the rules on workplace access get stronger. Independent unions will be able to ask for access, in person or online, to meet, support and recruit workers.

There is a proper process for agreeing it, and the Central Arbitration Committee steps in if you cannot agree. Businesses with fewer than 21 workers across all their workplaces are exempt from these particular provisions.

If you are above that line, it helps to know who would pick up a request before one turns up.

Who would that be in your business?
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29/09/2026

This is the October change I most want employers to look at. From 30 October, the law asks you to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, where it currently asks for reasonable steps. That one little word matters.

There is also new protection relating to third parties, so your customers, clients, contractors and suppliers come into the picture as well as your own people.

Having a policy is a start, but showing what you have actually done is what counts.

When did you last take your risk assessment out of the drawer?
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28/09/2026

If you have ever assumed an old employment issue would be long forgotten, October is worth a pause. From 1 October, most Employment Tribunal claims can be brought within six months, not three, where the time limit starts on or after that date.

That means something could land back on your desk much later than it would today. I would look at how you record disciplinaries, grievances and performance conversations, and whether the notes would make sense to a stranger reading them months down the line.

How long do you currently keep your HR records for?
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