And yet many women may experience health challenges at different life stages, including symptoms associated with the menopause transition.

To dive further into this issue, Sun Life hosted a roundtable discussion about support for women’s health in the workplace. The roundtable features three Sun Life leaders, along with the co-founder of the Menopause Foundation of Canada.

Our panelists discussed the impact of menopause and the gender health gap on women and the workplace. They also highlighted ways that you can better support women’s health and gain many benefits, including improved retention, greater productivity, and a healthier, happier workforce.

You can view the roundtable discussion here.

Why we’re focused on women’s health needs

The impacts are substantial. In Canada, women miss – and employers lose – about 540,000 days of work because of menopause symptom management. Overall, the annual economic cost of unmanaged menopause symptoms is about $3.5 billion. Much of that is due to women reducing their hours, taking lower paid positions, or leaving the workforce altogether. An estimated 1 in 10 women will leave the workforce due to unmanaged menopause symptoms.

Solutions that can help

Sun Life offers solutions that can help Clients increase support for women’s health within their group benefits plan. Our website highlights many of these, through our Bright Paper, DE&I Playbook and other resources. The site has a wealth of information on supporting women’s health in the workplace.

These resources can help you guide Clients to improve workplace health and support women in the prime of their working lives.

Questions? We’re here to help.

Please contact your Sun Life Group Benefits representative.