Gov. Bob Ferguson signs executive order directing state agencies to support employees experiencing menopause

Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order directing Washington cabinet agencies to develop standards, training and guidance to support state employees experiencing perimenopause and menopause and to share best practices with public and private employers across the state.

The order, announced at a July press event hosted at Armoir, directs the Washington State Women's Commission to work with the Department of Health, the Health Care Authority and the BRE collaborative to identify best practices, adopt or update agency policies, and produce training materials for managers, employees and health professionals. "This is one of the most comprehensive single pieces of policy put forward to date," Gov. Bob Ferguson said, adding the administration will "be a place where workers can serve the people of Washington and know they'll be supported." (Gov. Bob Ferguson)

Advocates and providers said the order responds to a common workplace problem. Bridal Gregory, executive director of the Washington State Women's Commission, said the commission began collecting stories late last year about women who lacked clinical answers and workplace accommodations during intense physiological changes: "Right now in Washington, there are 600,000 women in our workforce that are between the ages of 40 and 59," Gregory said, urging the state to standardize accommodations so experienced workers are not lost from leadership roles.

April Haberman, CEO and founder of Medovia, framed the order as an economic as well as a health intervention. Haberman recounted her own early-menopause experience and said Medovia has collected more than 10,000 employee surveys showing that symptoms lead to missed work, reduced hours, lost promotions and attrition; "1 in 10 women quit the workplace due to menopause symptoms," she said. Haberman described employer-level fixes she said have worked: flexible schedules, breathable uniforms and peer-support groups.

From the clinical side, Dr. Naomi Bush, founder of Seattle Menopause Medicine, said specialized menopause care is scarce and often takes months to access. Bush described using existing leave protections for symptom-related time off and called for better clinician education and coverage for treatments: "If I go to get an asthma inhaler for $20, I should be able to get my estrogen patches for $20," she told attendees.

Terry Childs, a small-business owner who serves as CFO at the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, said many employers the chamber represents already include perimenopause and menopause treatments in their plans and welcomed a state-led, non-mandatory example: "It is not another mandate on employers. It is the state leading by example," Childs said.

Bridal Carter, secretary-treasurer of the Washington State Labor Council (AFL-CIO), said labor supports the step, framing menopause accommodations as matters of dignity and equity that particularly affect Black women, women of color and workers in physically demanding jobs.

The governor completed a ceremonial signing at the event and handed the pen to host Annie Barker of Armoir for photographs. Staff said agency implementation details, timelines and any proposed reporting requirements will be developed by the Women's Commission in coordination with the named agencies; the transcript did not specify an exact public timeline for required deliverables.

What the order directs and what it does not: the executive order applies to state agencies and asks cabinet-level offices to adopt or update internal policies, create training materials and collaborate with medical boards to provide continuing-education opportunities for clinicians. The event's speakers repeatedly framed the policy as guidance and an example for other employers rather than a new private-employer mandate.

Next steps: the Women's Commission will begin developing the guidance named in the order and the administration said it will share those resources with employers across Washington. Media were invited to ask questions after the ceremony.