Activating the true potential of your workforce means understanding and championing the individual situations of every employee. More and more companies are looking to add neurodiversity inclusion to their DEI strategy to combat the talent shortage and create more equitable workplaces so women—and everyone—can thrive. 

Join this webinar to hear our panel of experts discuss: 

• How senior leaders can model empathetic leadership and authenticity to encourage, 

• The invaluable role of people managers in creating safe and supportive dialogues for neurodiverse employees, and 

• Why workplaces that actively support neurodiversity inclusion are more productive. 

Note: Please log in to the website with your Catalyst Supporter organization email to access registration. If you are NOT a Catalyst Supporter, please email us to proceed with payment and registration. For questions, please contact catalystevents@catalyst.org.

Speakers

Hilary McVey, Partner, Deloitte Canada

Samantha Schilling, Human Resources Director for the Engineering Function and Enterprise Centers of Excellence, Eaton

Moderator

Simona Fontanella, Senior Associate, Catalyst

The post Webinar Recording: Neurodiversity at Work: Recognizing and Welcoming This Aspect of Identity for Women and Everyone appeared first on Catalyst.

Our expert panel examine:

• Current trends in employee caregiving needs and their impact on retention, advancement, and workplace equity
• Innovative corporate policies that effectively support working parents and caregivers while driving business success
• Emerging public policy proposals and their potential implications for workplace benefits and support systems
• Evidence-based strategies for creating inclusive environments that enable caregivers to thrive professionally
• Practical frameworks for organizations to assess and enhance their caregiving support infrastructure

Speakers

Charlie Bonello, CEO & Founder, Vivvi

Molly Day, COO, Moms First

Liz O’Donnell, Founder of Working Daughter

Veronica Segovia Bedon, Program Management Director – Family Caregiving, AARP

Moderator

Kristin Milosevich, Director, US Supporter Success, Catalyst

The post Webinar Recording: Caregiving & Careers: Navigating the Evolving Landscape of Workplace Support appeared first on Catalyst.

In this episode of Catalyst Breaks it Down, host Leora Tanenbaum, Senior Director, Editorial, joins Catalyst expert Ellie Smith, PhD, Director, Research, Catalyst Europe, to explore a critical yet often-overlooked area of employee wellness: menopause support in the workplace. 

Ellie shares insights from Catalyst’s latest research, revealing the top menopause-related benefits employees are seeking, from flexible working arrangements to medical coverage, and highlights the power of awareness and education sessions to open up conversations about women’s health. The findings show a valuable opportunity for companies to boost inclusivity and employee wellbeing by offering comprehensive menopause support. 

HR and business leaders can delve into Catalyst’s in-depth report, “HR guide to global workplace menopause support,” for actionable steps and data-driven strategies. Plus, Catalyst Supporters can see how Standard Chartered is leading by example with an effective menopause support program. 

Catalyst Breaks it Down is a video YouTube series where Catalyst experts dissect timely topics in gender equity and DEI, offering research-backed insights for today’s leaders. 

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The post Catalyst Breaks it Down: How to build effective menopause workplace programs (Video) appeared first on Catalyst.

In this episode of Catalyst Breaks it Down, host Leora Tanenbaum, Senior Director, Editorial and Catalyst expert Kathrina Robotham, Director, Research explore Catalyst’s latest research on an often-overlooked aspect of employee wellness: menopause support in the workplace. 

Kathrina reveals the critical challenges menopausal employees encounter daily, from stigma to lack of accommodations, and explains why menopause support programs are not just a nice-to-have but a strategic advantage for companies. As companies compete fiercely to attract and retain talent, offering menopause-related benefits can provide a meaningful edge, showing employees that their well-being is truly valued. 

HR and business leaders can dive deeper into Catalyst’s comprehensive report, “Menopause support helps attract and retain top talent,” which unpacks the data and offers actionable steps for organizations. And for those wanting a real-world example, Catalyst Supporters can see how Standard Chartered has successfully integrated menopause support into their workplace. 

Catalyst Breaks it Down is a video YouTube series where Catalyst experts dissect timely topics in gender equity and DEI, making research insights actionable for today’s leaders.  

Get More Insights

Sign up to receive the C-Newsletter with more thought leadership, tools and events.

The post Catalyst Breaks it Down: Why supporting menopause in the workplace is essential (Video) appeared first on Catalyst.

Watch an insightful overview of these resources, followed by a brief Q&A session where you can interact with Catalyst experts and ask questions about how we can best support you.

The post Recording: APAC Event: Empowering Frontline Employees with Catalyst Resources 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. 

Watch 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

The post Webinar Recording: Is It Hot in Here or Is It Just Me? Supporting Menopause at Work appeared first on Catalyst.

Organisations committed to advancing gender equity and increasing the representation of women in leadership understand the importance of supporting employees across the lifetime of their careers. But too often, one critical life stage is ignored: menopause.

Most people experience perimenopause and menopause around the ages of 45 to 55, which often coincides with when they are most likely to move into upper leadership positions.¹ When workplaces do not adequately support employees experiencing menopause, attrition rates can increase.² Employees who stay may experience a loss of productivity due to the wide range of symptoms that can occur, at a cost to both themselves and their organisations, which flexible workplace practices and more inclusive workplace policies can help alleviate.³

Why menopause support should be part of your overall DEI strategy

Misunderstandings, unfunny jokes, and overall stigma mean many people may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed discussing a “taboo” subject, especially at work.⁴ Menopause emerges at the intersection of age and gender, two aspects of identity that can cause women to face increased workplace discrimination and stereotyping.⁵ Indeed, women already face more severe age-based discrimination than men, a concept known as gendered ageism.⁶

Due to the stigmatisation of menopause and its alignment with aging, many employees are hesitant to ask for support and may face resistance to such requests. And research has found they may leave an organisation altogether — if they are not unfairly pushed out first.⁷ This domino effect can lead to a loss of valuable, experienced talent — especially as older women continue to make up a growing segment of the workforce — and send a negative message to all employees.

Understand how your company can craft its own policies to address menopause in the workplace by learning from Standard Chartered, a bank headquartered in the UK that has successfully incorporated approaches to support employees going through this life phase into its DEI strategy.

Standard Chartered: De-stigmatising menopause in the workplace

In October 2023, Standard Chartered announced that it was expanding coverage for treatment of menopause-related symptoms within its health benefits package to all colleagues and their partners. This development, which was well received by colleagues and external stakeholders, is just one of several initiatives that the bank has introduced to educate colleagues about menopause and support employees experiencing this transition.

The bank’s work raising awareness started after it conducted a large-scale survey on menopause in the UK financial services industry in 2021 in partnership with the Financial Services Skills Commission (FSCC) and the Fawcett Society, an independent association working with the UK financial sector. The results were startling and found that “women were less likely to want to progress into more senior roles, with as many as a quarter (25 per cent) of those experiencing menopause ‘much more’ or ‘somewhat more’ likely to leave work before retirement.”⁸

Although the research focused on financial services, Tanuj Kapilashrami, Chief Strategy & Talent Officer, was vocal about how menopause is a relevant and important topic for all industries globally and how there can be positive gains for organisations, industries, and economies if proactively addressed. Indeed, although menopausal employees are a fast-growing demographic in the workplace, they’re often faced with a lack of awareness of the issues they’re grappling with — which can have a huge impact on career progression and talent retention if there are no support mechanisms in place.

Affirming commitment and taking action

Menopause is considered a dimension of diversity by the Standard Chartered Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team (under the lenses of both generations and gender) and is also an area of focus within the Wellbeing team. Both teams are under the umbrella of Employee Advocacy, which is part of HR. While there is no formal sponsor for the menopause initiative, Kapilashrami has championed the agenda since the bank partnered with the Fawcett Society and FSSC on the initial survey.

As a signatory of the Wellbeing of Women’s Menopause Workplace Pledge, the bank formed the Menopause Working Group in 2022 to formalise its commitment to create an environment where women are free to discuss their experiences and feel supported. The group is chaired by Rebekah Heaven, Global Head – Future of Work & Advocacy Strategy, and is a cross-functional team. Members bring cultural lenses from across the bank’s diverse footprint and sit in teams such as Corporate Real Estate Services, Wellbeing, Legal, and Benefits, working closely with the DEI team. Members of the group are volunteers who are involved because of their passion and interest in raising awareness and ensuring the bank supports all people who are experiencing menopause or affected by someone experiencing menopause.

In February 2023, the FSSC held a follow-up session in London with Standard Chartered and other financial services companies. The Menopause Working Group was intentional in inviting men as well as women to attend, mindful that menopause in the workplace doesn’t just affect women. In particular, Heaven invited senior leaders who are men to attend and asked them to bring along colleagues to build their awareness. The session was very well received, with one colleague sharing that this was the most helpful session he had attended in over ten years at Standard Chartered as he had learnt so much on a topic he previously knew nothing about. Other men also reached out to ask how they could start a group for male allies. As a result, the Menopause Working Group created an allyship group with the Europe D&I Council and held a successful male ally workshop with an external speaker. The bank’s UK CEO Saif Malik began informally sponsoring this work, which established him as an important and visible male ally.

Internal culture change and impact

Standard Chartered is committed to improving the day-to-day experiences of colleagues managing menopause so they can bring their best selves to work. The Menopause Working Group continually examines ways in which it can better equip line managers to assist their teams and help foster a truly supportive and inclusive workplace for all. For example:

• A Menopause Conversation Guide was developed by the DEI team and championed by the Menopause Working Group to equip managers with tools and resources to have courageous conversations.
• An internal podcast was developed on menopause.
• Ongoing education and awareness events are hosted globally with the Menopause Working Group identifying and recommending external speakers.

In addition, each member of the Menopause Working Group acts as a menopause champion and helps to raise awareness of the initiative among other colleagues in their market or region. Interestingly, some markets that the Menopause Working Group thought would be resistant to talking about the topic — including India, Africa, and the UAE — have been some of the most receptive to the initiative. Male colleagues at all levels and regions throughout the organisation, as well, have been strong allies and extremely supportive — recognising the fact that menopause should matter to every one of us.

Another indicator of success is the different topics that are now being discussed more openly. Since many employees have become used to talking about menopause, it is not uncommon now to hear conversations about other aspects of women’s health, including fertility and polycystic ovaries.

One of the biggest impacts the initiative has had is the retention of top talent, specifically women in senior positions who either didn’t connect their symptoms to menopause or who weren’t comfortable sharing them with colleagues. Raising awareness of this issue has not only allowed Standard Chartered to retain talent, but also to build a reputation as an employer that cares about the wellbeing of every colleague. Addressing menopause in the workplace has become part of the employee value proposition for the company.

Global menopause benefits

A menopause provision has been added to Standard Chartered’s benefits globally, available to all employees regardless of their geographical location. This is important not only so that all employees are ensured equal treatment, but also because in places such as the UAE and Africa menopause is very expensive to treat medically. The global benefits were rolled out in 2023 and were added onto policies as they came up for renewal.

Other initiatives to support colleagues include:

• Period products in all office washrooms.
• Separate sessions by gender in India so that everyone feels comfortable participating.
• Ability to request a fan for an office desk.
• Opportunities to use sick leave, special leave, and compassionate leave, as needed, for menopause symptoms.

Significantly, since Standard Chartered is a completely hybrid workplace with no mandated days when employees must be in the office, employees can work from home as needed — be it to manage their own symptoms or offer support to a family member.

Next steps and challenges

The Menopause Working Group has plans for continuing its work, including:

• Continuing to host events. World Menopause Day, recognised annually on 18 October, garners a lot of attention, yet ongoing awareness is also important to sustain momentum.
• Focusing on the intersectional aspects of how menopause affects people from both a cultural and medical perspective.
• Exploring ways different groups within the bank can help provide more personalised support such as the opportunity to speak with a trained person.
• Raising awareness about other hormonal cycles aside from menopause, such as menstruation and fertility.

One challenge the Menopause Working Group faces is how it can encourage ongoing engagement with all these topics, especially among younger women across the organisation and those working in the US, where there is stigma around discussing menopause. Without making this a mandated program, the Menopause Working Group wants to be sure it is raising awareness with everybody.

Another challenge is creating a more formal measurement of how benefits are utilised. When they are first rolled out and accessed, there is a flurry of excitement. However, in respecting confidentiality, it can be hard to determine how widespread the adoption of resources is.

Continue to make progress

Cultivating a culture of compassion and normalising conversations around menopause are essential in facilitating employees’ journeys through this life stage, particularly within societal contexts where such discussions remain taboo. Companies are making progress: just over half of financial services firms in the UK now demonstrate senior leadership support in addressing issues surrounding menopause in the workplace.⁹ Menopause is not just a women’s issue. Menopause transition is an important topic that matters to everyone.

Getting started: Building a successful menopause strategy

Normalise the conversation

• Enlist allies, including men, to support organisational efforts to start conversations and reduce stigma around menopause.
• Attend or offer to host events related to menopause both internally and externally to raise awareness and further the discussion.
• Provide educational material on your company’s intranet or post in company breakrooms or other visible locations.

Integrate menopause into other programs

• Include other stakeholders early in the process who will be key in crafting a successful and thoughtful menopause strategy.
  • Menopause should be an important consideration in your organisation’s DEI policy.
  • People and culture teams should be enlisted to help craft employee benefits related to menopause.
  • Employee Resource Groups can be enlisted to help plan events and educate employees.
• Offer counselling services or consultations with experts through your Employee Assistance Program.

Don’t forget frontline employees

• Employees working onsite should be included in conversations about the support they may need. Some common requests include:
  • Expanded sick leave and flexible working arrangements.
    • Consider giving employees several smaller breaks instead of offering one large one.
  • Fans, cooling rooms, and/or private rooms.
  • Easy access to restrooms.
  • Cold water, towels, and tissues to help with perspiration.
  • Uniforms, if required, made of technical or breathable fabric.

By integrating thoughtful measures around menopause, organisations can support employees and help build a stronger pipeline to senior leadership by retaining women through this life stage.

Endnotes

1. Patterson, J. (2020, February 24). It’s time to start talking about menopause at work. Harvard Business Review.

2. Burden, L. (2021, June 18). Women are leaving the workforce for a little-talked-about reason. Bloomberg.

3. Tinebra, M. (2024, April 12). How to build a menopause-inclusive workplace. Forbes.

4. Reitz, M., Bolton, M., & Emslie, K. (2020, February 4). Is menopause a taboo in your organization? Harvard Business Review.

5. Manzi, C., Sorgente, A., Reverberi, E., Tagliabue, S., & Gorli, M. (2021). Double jeopardy – Analyzing the combined effect of age and gender stereotype threat on older workers. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.

6. Duffett, J. (2023). Inclusion at every stage: Addressing gendered ageism: Topic overview. Catalyst.

7. Kale, S. (2021, August 17). ‘My bosses were happy to destroy me’ – the women forced out of work by menopause. Guardian.

8. Menopause in the workplace: Progress and priorities. (April 2023). Standard Chartered and Financial Services Skills Commission.

9. Menopause in the workplace: Progress and priorities. (April 2023). Standard Chartered and Financial Services Skills Commission.

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