As the pandemic ravaged employee wellbeing, many organizations upped their commitments in this space—creating new programs and policies to help workers tend to their physical, mental and financial health. At Canadian financial services company Sun Life Financial, leadership recognized that one area—menopause inclusivity—could have significant influence over all of these dimensions of employee health, says Chief People and Culture Officer Helena Pagano.
Pagano has been a key driver behind the organization’s work to promote menopause inclusivity, both within its workforce and the communities it serves. Earlier this Women’s History Month, Pagano was honored at the Catalyst Awards in New York, an event highlighting leaders effecting meaningful change for women in the workplace.
Among its efforts in recent years, Sun Life partnered with the Menopause Foundation of Canada in 2023 for an awareness-raising campaign, including the publication of an employer resource guide and research report, and earlier this year added menopause benefits for employees through provider Progyny.
Sun Life isn’t alone, as menopause inclusivity is gaining steam with some employers: Family-building and wellbeing company WIN recently told HR Executive it saw an increase of 185% in menopause benefits clients in 2024. However, Pagano says, the “tragic” reality is that generations of women already have stepped out of the workplace because of the impact of menopause, a loss that she says employers can confront by embedding menopause inclusivity in their cultures.
“Culture matters so much now, with uncertainty and turmoil all around the world,” she says. “The environment you set, along with your principles and values, will help you navigate these uncertain times.”
Pagano, who joined Sun Life in 2017 after HR leadership roles at RBC Capital Markets and TD, shared with HR Executive how the organization, which employs 42,000 people, is strengthening its culture with a focus on menopause inclusivity.
HR Executive: You’ve led the work to make Sun Life a more menopause-inclusive organization. What was the impetus?
Pagano: It’s greatly aligned to our company purpose around healthier lives. With my HR hat on, I started thinking about what could help our people, and our women, succeed, and there’s an underserved area for health concerns like menopause. There’s a great health gap in that there is not a lot of information and support. We saw this as a solvable problem that is so aligned with what we do.
HR Executive: What has been most impactful toward building menopause inclusivity at Sun Life?
Pagano: It’s something you can address through some simple things—addressing stigma at work, opening conversations, making resources available. The first thing to unlock is talking about it. It’s terrific to get the tone from the top. I happen to talk a lot about women’s health, and I saw this gravitational pull toward menopause, so opening the conversation is great. The tone from the middle is great, too; if you have employee resource groups, they can help activate the dialogue. It’s about providing the information to help people understand there are tools available—either in your own benefits plan or, if it’s not covered, how they can leverage resources available to the public: The Menopause Foundation of Canada has great information, and so does the North American Menopause Society. Finding information there can be even more helpful than from your own healthcare practitioners because even if they’re focused on women’s health, it doesn’t mean they have expertise on this topic.
The other key has been hybrid work. If you have a day where you’re not feeling well or didn’t sleep well or have particularly onerous hot flashes, having a hybrid work arrangement and flexibility can enable you to work and still remain productive.
HR Executive: As you started driving conversations on this topic, what was employee feedback like?
Pagano: People started writing me very personal, heartfelt messages telling me stories, things that are very private. And these were people I had never met, sending notes. That helped really highlight how underserved this need was. We did information sessions, town halls with practitioners, published resources, and people of all ages were stopping me.
Younger women were saying, “I didn’t know this was coming. Thank you for bringing awareness.” Men were stopping me to say they went home and had a conversation with their wife or partner or family members. Younger men stopped me to say this was so helpful: “My wife and I watched the town hall together because health is such an important topic to us.” You think it’s a particular segment—women of a certain age and stage—[affected by menopause inclusivity efforts] but I found it appealed to a whole range of needs.
HR Executive: What pitfalls might HR leaders encounter as they head down this path?
Pagano: I think the biggest pitfall is getting over your [fear]. When I first started this, a woman said to me, “Thank you for having the courage to speak up about this topic. Women who didn’t know they could talk about this issue can be themselves.” I haven’t seen one pitfall; it’s been nothing but positives.
HR Executive: As more employers recognize the need for menopause inclusivity, how can organizations stay on the leading edge of innovation in this space?
Pagano: That’s the wonderful outcome of this: It’s not complicated. It’s about starting the conversation, making it OK to talk about, making the resources available, creating a safe space. It’s so fascinating how just creating the space to talk about this has created so much goodwill, so much momentum. No one has to try to solve the health issue. We’re not asking managers and leaders to solve this issue but rather to create the environment and to be there to support people. And then the magic will happen.
HR Executive: Congratulations on your recent Catalyst Award. What did that mean to you?
Pagano: So much. Thinking back to the early days of this conversation, people were worried about their careers, they didn’t know how to manage their health, their mental health was impacted. I saw people who stepped away from their careers—who broke the glass ceiling but then left at just 53 or 54. Just opening up that conversation has been able to let women achieve their best potential, to feel their best and to stay in their careers. We’ve opened the dialogue and are drawing attention to what has been a health gap. How great to bring some focus to what is a real, real need.
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