For World Menopause Day in October, the Ministry for Women created Making Menopause Work — a free, flexible and practical guide that gives workplaces (of any size and type) online resources to support their people through peri/menopause. It came about in response to calls from women and businesses wanting credible and easily accessible information about menopause and the many ways workplaces can support their people through this powerful stage of life. Many of the ideas are free or low-cost but can have a big impact.

The downloadable resources range from a Q&A about peri/menopause and a poster, to conversation cards, tips for managers and a template for workplaces to design their own guide. There are video case studies of three well-known New Zealand organisations including Air New Zealand, FMG insurance and Christchurch City Holdings Ltd (Christchurch Airport, Lyttleton Port etc) that are committed to empowering and supporting their people through this stage of life. Making Menopause Work was made to inspire other workplaces to take small steps in the right direction.

Designed for employers, leaders, managers, workmates and anyone impacted by menopause, the guide is available on the Ministry for Women’s website and can be used in whichever way is most useful to different workplaces.

Today, a free webinar will be hosted by Sarah Connor and the Ministry for Women at 12-12:45 pm. The webinar discusses the guide with futher advice and insight into the topic of menopause in the workplace. Registration to the seminar has closed, but you can email menopause@women.govt.nz to see if any availability remains. This session will be recorded and used as a resource on the Ministry for Women’s website.