Danish retail group Salling Group is training its managers to talk with staff about menopause, as new international workplace recommendations are published.
DR reported on September 25 that the company behind Bilka, Føtex and Netto has made a guide for managers on how to start the conversation. HR chief Charlotte Ærthøj said the company’s sickness absence figures show higher absence among employees in the menopause age range.
According to Ærthøj, that makes it an organizational condition and not only an individual one. Salling Group is looking at measures such as extra breaks, more breathable uniforms and flexible or later working hours.
Ærthøj told DR that menopause was long treated as a private matter, and that workplaces are now more ready for open dialogue. She said nobody will be required to discuss it, and that the aim is also to bring sickness absence down. The group has 43,000 employees in Denmark.
New global standard
The recommendations published the same day were prepared by Dansk Standard, where chief consultant Lise Schmidt Aagesen led the work. She said she has never seen such large interest in a standard that had not yet been released. A short inspiration catalog was issued earlier in 2026 because of the demand, she told DR.
The document is the international standard ISO 45010. Per ISO, which published it on September 7, 2026, it recommends private rest spaces, access to cool drinking water and comfortable, breathable uniforms where uniforms are required. It also says menstruation and menopause should be included among worker factors in risk assessments.
The standard further states that managers should understand the relevant policies. In its announcement of September 23, Dansk Standard described it as the world’s first global standard covering menstruation and menopause in the workplace.
Lasse Gliemann researches menopause and leads the project Kvinder i Sund Overgang at the University of Copenhagen. He told DR that more and more companies are saying menopause is something they must address at work. He described it as a life phase that can affect both job satisfaction and work ability.
Gliemann said he is confident that improving that phase is good for the bottom line and for well being. Ærthøj said the potential lies in retaining employees, attracting new colleagues and taking responsibility for a topic that has rarely been discussed.
DR also published a companion article explaining the new guidance, including basic questions about hot flashes and brain fog. It frames the material as help for both employees and employers in understanding and managing menopause at work, part of a wider discussion about Danish work culture.
