Menopause is a significant life stage that affects a large portion of the workforce, yet it remains shrouded in stigma and misunderstanding. Many women experience symptoms that can impact their performance and well-being at work, but few workplaces have policies or support systems in place to address these challenges.

Addressing menopause in the workplace is not just about health. It’s also about creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel valued and supported. By recognizing and accommodating the needs of women at every stage of their lives and careers, businesses can reduce turnover, enhance employee satisfaction, and demonstrate a commitment to gender equity.

Join our panel of experts to discuss:

• What menopause is (and isn’t) and how symptoms show up in the workplace
• How to go beyond empathic leadership to get to the root of bias and stigma around menopause
• Best practices for proactively building a workplace environment that supports women through every stage of their lives

For questions, please contact catalystevents@catalyst.org.

Catalyst is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

The post Navigating Menopause: Addressing the Latest Issues in Women’s Health and Workplace Inclusion appeared first on Catalyst.

Black women face unique challenges in the workplace that can severely impact their health and wellness, both physical and mental. Catalyst research has found that over half of Black women report feeling “on guard” at work, which can lead to what we call the Emotional Tax. This is when feeling different from peers in the workplace because of gender, race, and/or ethnicity affects health, well-being, and the ability to thrive at work.

Prioritizing the health and wellness of Black women employees is not only a moral imperative but also a strategic business decision. Companies that actively support the well-being of their Black women employees experience higher retention rates, increased productivity, and a more inclusive work culture. By fostering an environment where Black women feel valued and supported, businesses can unlock the full potential of their talent pool and drive innovation and success. Furthermore, promoting diversity and inclusion has been shown to enhance company reputation and attract top talent across all demographics.

Join our panel of experts for Black History Month to discuss:

• How Emotional Tax shows up in the workplace, both quietly and overtly
• How leaders can leverage Catalyst’s Listen, Learn, Link up, Lead model to better support their Black women employees
• Best practices from industry leaders for creating empowering and successful workplaces that work for Black women

For questions, please contact catalystevents@catalyst.org.

Catalyst is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

The post Beyond the Desk: Health and Wellness for Black Women at Work appeared first on Catalyst.

Upcoming research from Catalyst highlights that more than one-third of women employees say their menopause symptoms negatively impact work performance. The cost? An estimated $1.8 billion per year in the US alone.  

The question for HR and talent leaders isn’t whether to provide support for employees going through perimenopause and menopause, it’s how quickly they can meet the demand: 84% of employees globally agree that workplaces need to do more. The door is open for smart, inclusive business leaders to break the stigma of menopause at work and build a corporate culture and benefits structure that encourages authenticity, dialogue, and support. 

Join this webinar to hear our panel of experts discuss: 

• The importance of destigmatizing menopause in the workplace and opening the door to empathetic dialogues between managers and reports. 

• How to build an organizational culture that offers support for common challenges of menopause. 

• Why building resource structures for employees with menopause benefits every employee at every level of the organization. 

Speakers

Komel Caruso, Co-Founder and COO, HerMD

Alicia Grandey, Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology; Penn State University

Rebekah Heaven, Global Head – Future of Work & Advocacy Strategy, Standard Chartered

Moderator

Janet Piper, Senior Director, Supporter Success, Catalyst

Catalyst is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

The post Is It Hot in Here or Is It Just Me? Supporting Menopause in the Workplace appeared first on Catalyst.

Watch this roundtable recording for an engaging discussion focused on the concrete steps companies can take to move from awareness to acceptance in supporting employee mental health. This discussion aims to foster an environment of understanding and support, ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard.

Topics of Discussion:

• What does good look like: Understanding the impact of mental health within the workplace.
• Employee Resources Groups: The role employee resource groups can play in supporting mental health and guiding organizations.
• Policies, procedures, and training: We’ll discuss how dedicated policies, procedures, and training can create support systems and create a lasting positive impact for all employees.

We believe that by addressing these topics openly, we can build a stronger, more empathetic workplace where everyone thrives.

The post Virtual Roundtable: Mental Health at Work: From Awareness to Acceptance (Webinar Recording) appeared first on Catalyst.

In this Mental Health Awareness Month webinar, we share new data that can help leaders better understand the experiences of frontline employees and preview new tools to help meet their needs.  

Over half of frontline employees are at risk of leaving their jobs. But companies can encourage them to stay by creating a respectful and rewarding frontline work experience that centers their well-being.  

What you will learn: 

• What new Catalyst data reveals about the work experiences of frontline employees. 
• The mental health and other challenges that frontline employees experience. 
• What business and HR leaders can do to revolutionize their approach to frontline talent retention and create healthy workplaces where frontline employees can thrive. 

At the end of this webinar recording, you will have a better understanding of the challenges faced by frontline employees and what it means to attract, retain, and support them. 

Speakers

Joy Ohm, Vice President, Science Writer & Advisor, Catalyst

This webinar recording is available to Catalyst Supporters only. To confirm if your company is a Catalyst Supporter, click here.

Read the key takeaways.

The post Webinar Recording: How to Create a Respectful and Rewarding Frontline Experience–New Catalyst Data Shows How appeared first on Catalyst.

Over half (55%) of frontline employees are considering leaving their jobs.

Frontline employees are facing a mental health crisis. They are suffering from burnout, sleep problems, and lack of psychological safety.

Backed by Catalyst research and data from over 4,500 employees across sectors, Half of Frontline Employees at Risk of Leaving: What You Can Do About It highlights the core issues affecting industries with frontline workforces.
The stakes are high with billions of dollars lost to turnover alone.

Business leaders and HR leaders can revolutionize their approach to frontline talent retention, creating healthy workplaces where frontline employees can thrive, with three actions:

1. Aim for Partnership, Not Perfection: Cultivate a culture of empathy, inclusion, and diversity. Our actionable strategies empower managers and teams to foster a workplace where every voice matters.
2. Break the Silence: Combat barriers to speaking up and dismantle harmful gender norms. Create an environment where employees feel valued, heard, and respected.
3. Help Managers Help Employees: Equip frontline supervisors with the tools and skills they need to support their teams effectively. From leadership training to flexible management approaches, empower managers to create environments that inspire and motivate.

Want to go further?

Read our reports, produced in partnership with Accenture, on frontline workforce issues:

• Women on the Front Line: Enabling Them to Thrive, Stay, and Perform
• Team Dynamics on the Front Line: How Managers and Organizations Impact This Overlooked Key to Retention

Supporter-only perks include:

• Window to the Front Line: A comprehensive toolkit for corporate leaders to help them attract, develop, and retain frontline talent, featuring actionable worksheets and leading practices.
• Moments That Matter: Elevate frontline managers skills with scenario-based learning cards and micro-learnings designed to create rewarding environments for all employees.

The post Half of Frontline Employees at Risk of Leaving: What You Can Do About It (E-book) appeared first on Catalyst.

Catalyst, in partnership with Accenture, shines a spotlight on the important role frontline managers have on the overall culture of the frontline workplace in Team Dynamics on the Front Line: How Managers and Organizations Impact This Overlooked Key to Retention (Report).

This research demonstrates the importance of investing in team-building and cultivating strong interpersonal skills among all employees, particularly frontline managers. With the right training, frontline managers can foster a positive workplace by creating a safe space for dialogue, showing they value employees’ experiences, and building connection and trust. In doing so, they have the ability to boost morale and retention and reduce burnout. 

Whether you are in human resources, learning and development, or in a frontline executive role, we encourage you to download this poster and infographic with frontline managers and employees to set them up for success.  

Available in English, French, Quebecois, Spanish and German.

Four Tips for Tackling Tough Talks 

Often, it’s hard to find time to think through how to address difficult conversations at work. This poster gives frontline employees a simple visual analogy that they can use to keep in mind as they tackle tough situations in real time.  

By following these guidelines, individuals can navigate challenging discussions more effectively, fostering a healthier and more collaborative work environment. 

Available in English, French, Quebecois, Spanish and German.

Five Conversation Skills for Connecting with Frontline Employees 

This infographic identifies five essential skills frontline managers can use to improve their communication with team members. The skills include active listening, self-reflecting on judgments, asking insightful questions, relating on a human level, and taking meaningful actions based on what they have learned. 

The skills outlined in the infographic empower managers to strengthen their relationships with frontline employees and improve their effectiveness in addressing various workplace challenges. 

Available in English, French, Quebecois, Spanish and German.

The post Beyond Troubleshooting: Conversation Skills for Frontline Managers appeared first on Catalyst.

And when that involvement is modeled at the highest levels of leadership, organizations far outpace their competitors by nearly all measures. That’s why it is crucial for business leaders to take a personal role in advancing gender partnership so that everyone wins together.

Join this webinar to hear our panel of experts discuss:

• How organizations can build accountability for DEI progress into their standard business practices
• Why partnership across and between genders is foundational to DEI success
• How men are uniquely positioned to contribute to culture change and build inclusive workplaces for all

Speakers

Jeff Barth, Senior Director, Global DEI, Parexel

Sarah DiMuccio, Senior DEI Consultant, Mannaz, Copenhagen

Julie Nugent, Senior Vice President, Global Corporate Services & Community, Catalyst

Moderator

Derrick Brown-Ritchel, US, Director, Catalyst

Note: Please log in to the website with your Catalyst Supporter organization email to access registration. For questions, please contact catalystevents@catalyst.org.

Catalyst is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities.

The post Leadership Accountability & Gender Partnership: Engaging Men to Increase Inclusion appeared first on Catalyst.

Less than a week later, however, I forgave him. He had convinced me that he would never do it again. This was the beginning of a vicious domestic-violence relationship that would take me one year to escape.

As I laid in bed one evening, trying to recover from one of the most violent episodes I had endured at his hands, I knew I needed to leave or else he could potentially end my life; he had gotten pretty close. However, I faced a number of complicated barriers that, at that time, seemed impossible to overcome. I was overwhelmed with feelings of isolation (because no one would understand why I allowed myself to accept the violence), despair, and confusion.

I mustered all my energy to get myself to work the next morning. Gathering myself at my desk, I noticed that one of my woman colleagues, who sat three cubicles down from me, clearly was also a domestic violence victim; her bruises were more noticeable than mine, bad enough that she was unable to cover them up. At that moment, I realized that I was not alone and that domestic violence was a more common occurrence than society acknowledges.

I was lucky. I was able to escape. But as I witnessed, victims of domestic violence are everywhere—including at work.

I assisted my colleague in gathering her personal items from the home she shared with her abuser. With the constant fear that her abuser would appear at any minute, I kept my cell phone open with “911” already input into my cellphone keypad in case I would need to call for help.

I encourage everyone to gain awareness of the signs of domestic violence so that you can be an ally in the workplace. A few signs, based on my experience, include: taking frequent breaks to the restroom; taking more days off than usual without a clear explanation; behaving in a manner indicating fear; appearing more sad or solemn than usual; being easily startled; and the appearance of bruises.

(Additional signs are catalogued by The National Domestic Violence Hotline and include best practices on approaching a possible abuse victim in your workplace.)

Yet there are multiple forms of abuse, and not all are physical. Other forms include emotional, verbal, and financial abuse, which may be difficult to identify.

I devised the acronym SAFE to help you remember a few ways to demonstrate your allyship:

S-Security Managers and other leaders: I encourage you to create psychological and physical safety for the victim, who may be found in a position at any level, from the front line to the C-suite. Domestic violence does not discriminate by sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, or socioeconomic status.

A-Allyship and Awareness HR leaders: Demonstrate allyship by acknowledging the barriers that are faced when leaving a domestic violence relationship and create safety nets for employees in this situation. For example, companies should recommend a mechanism to provide financial assistance to employees in crisis or an employee donation pool for this purpose. In the Catalyst research report Promises vs. Progress: 2 Keys to Keeping Employees to Feeling Good and Staying Put, Bank of America‘s their allyship and advocacy by supporting their employees in navigating significant work-life events, such as support for survivors of domestic violence.

F-Foster HR leaders: Foster a culture of volunteerism. If your organization offers paid time off for volunteer hours, encourage employees to donate their time to a local domestic violence shelter. Maintain a shared folder of resources for managers and colleagues in case a team member exhibits signs of domestic abuse.

E-Empathy Everyone: Demonstrate empathy at all times for the survivor as they work through the situation and transition into their “new normal,” which can take weeks, months, or years. Catalyst encourages all leaders to connect with members of their team not only to lead inclusively but also to stay informed about challenges they may be facing outside of work.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, one in three women and one in four men is a victim of domestic violence. With rates this high, some of your fellow colleagues may very well be victims.

The post How to Be an Ally at Work to Survivors of Domestic Violence (Blog Post) appeared first on Catalyst.