Rhode Island is the first state to expressly require employers to provide workplace accommodations for job applicants and employees who are experiencing menopause and menopause-related medical conditions. This requirement went into effect immediately upon the Governor’s signature on June 24, 2025.

The new protections for menopause-related conditions were passed as an amendment to the law that requires employers to provide accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions.

Rhode Island employers are required to engage in a timely, good-faith, interactive process to identify reasonable accommodations for employees who are experiencing menopause symptoms or related medical conditions. However, employers do not have to provide the requested accommodation if they can demonstrate that it would pose an undue hardship on their business.

The law includes a list of possible accommodations that an employer might be required to provide for an employee experiencing a pregnancy-related condition, including accommodations specifically related to pregnancy (e.g., “break time and private non-bathroom space for expressing breast milk”). However, the amendment did not add any new possible accommodations or otherwise identify accommodations specific to menopause. The law specifically mentions one menopause-related condition, “the need to manage the effects of vasomotor symptoms,” commonly known as hot flushes/flashes or night sweats.

The law also requires employers to post a notice in the workplace and provide notice to their employees.. Employers were already required to give this notice informing the employee of their right to be free from discrimination for their pregnancy or childbirth related condition, but that notice must now be updated to include menopause. Notice must be given to new employees on their first day and to any employee who notifies the employer of the employee’s pregnancy or menopause, within ten days of the employer being notified.

Rhode Island employers should review their policies and adapt their accommodation practices to the new requirements.