Coincidentally, this is the age range when most women begin their menopause journey.1 Unfortunately, many women experiencing menopause feel they aren’t supported in the workforce, and they’re underprepared.

The menopause knowledge gap is real. And it contributes to millions of women needlessly suffering through symptoms that have negative impacts on their health, quality of life, and work.2

It’s estimated that the unmanaged symptoms of menopause costs the economy $3.5 billion.

  • $237 million in lost productivity.
  • 540,000 lost days of work attributed to menopause symptom management.
  • $3.3 billion in lost income due to a reduction in hours and/or pay from leaving the workforce altogether.

New resources to help your Clients support menopause in the workplace

Women over the age of 40 make up one quarter of the Canadian workforce. As a result, there’s a powerful opportunity for employers to act to unleash the full potential of this demographic by supporting them through menopause.3

To help your Clients support their employees who are experiencing menopause, we’re excited to share these new resources with you. We believe they can play a key role in making it easier for employers to have conversations about menopause and break down the ongoing stigma around the topic, and ultimately create a menopause-inclusive workplace.

  • Menopause and Work in Canada: a powerful report based on findings from Canadian women with a focus on understanding Canadian attitudes, perceptions, and feelings about menopause in the workforce.
  • Menopause Inclusive Playbook for employers: a hands-on resource employers can use to help understand menopause and support the women in their workforce experiencing it.

With World Menopause Day approaching on October 18, we hope you’ll read and share these resources with your Clients. They’ll help them support conversations in their workplace and encourage them and join the Menopause Works HereTM campaign. This campaign champions menopause inclusive workplaces in Canada, and encourages employers to demonstrate their support for the well-being of employees experiencing menopause by:

  • Listening to the perspectives of menopausal employees to understand their experiences and needs,
  • Learning about menopause and its impact at work, and
  • Acting to find meaningful ways to support employees at this stage of life.

Questions? We’re here to help.

Please contact your Sun Life Group Benefits representative.

1, 2, 3 Menopause and Work in Canada, Menopause Foundation of Canada. 2023.