THE CO-OP is publishing a guide for its 4,500 managers to help more women access menopause support in the workplace.

The retailer said its research, published today, suggested that over half of managers in the UK do not feel confident in supporting a colleague experiencing the perimenopause or menopause.

A survey of 2,000 adults found that two fifths of women through or with the menopause experienced increased anxiety at work and over a quarter said they felt depressed.

The lack of training from employers across the UK is having a negative impact on women in the workplace, the co-op said.

All of the managers across the group’s food stores, funeral homes, legal services and insurance businesses will have access to the guide, showing how to better support staff.

Helen Webb, chief people and services officer at the Co-op, said: “It’s time to stop viewing the physical and mental impacts felt by those experiencing the perimenopause and menopause as just a women’s issue and rather as a workplace issue that we all have a role in supporting.”