Denmark published its first official workplace guidance on menopause on September 25, 2026. The recommendations are meant to help employees and employers understand and handle symptoms on the job.
The guidance was issued Friday and is the first of its kind directed at the Danish labor market. DR reports that it is intended to help staff and managers understand and manage menopause at work.
Menopause affects around half the population, according to DR, yet it can still be hard to raise at the workplace. That is the reason given for the new recommendation.
Menopause is the phase in a woman’s life, usually around the age of 50, when menstruation gradually stops. The body produces less female sex hormone during that period, as described by DR.
In Denmark, half of all women have had their last menstrual period by the age of 52. That figure comes from the research project “Kvinder i Sund Overgang” at the University of Copenhagen, cited by DR.
How menopause is experienced varies considerably from woman to woman, DR notes. The broadcaster published its report alongside a reader quiz on symptoms, including brain fog and the duration of a hot flash.
The new recommendations address working life rather than treatment within the Danish healthcare system. DR frames them as practical help for conversations between employees and employers.
Employers already training managers
In separate reporting published the same day, DR described how Salling Group is training its managers on the subject. According to DR, the retail group wants leaders to be able to discuss hot flashes and sleepless nights with employees.
DR also reported the case of Hanne Rønberg, who has been going through menopause for about six years. She has an agreement with her manager on more flexible working hours.
Per DR, that arrangement allows Rønberg to start later or work from home. She uses it on days after nights when she has had almost no sleep.
Why now
DR links the timing directly to the difficulty of discussing menopause in Danish workplaces. The broadcaster reports that the recommendation was released on September 25, 2026, to give workplaces something concrete to work from.
DR has described menopause as a topic now being raised more often by Danish employers. Its reporting on the same day points to companies looking for guidance on how to respond.
No official sources beyond the published guidance were named in DR’s coverage of the release. The broadcaster’s reporting on September 25, 2026, remains the main account of the document and its purpose.
