Menopause has long been treated as a private matter. For many organisations, it barely registers as a workplace issue at all. Yet for employers facing a looming talent crunch and rising expectations around inclusion, ignoring it is a strategic risk.
Helena Pagano (pictured), executive vice-president and chief people and culture officer at Sun Life, argues that menopause needs to be reframed as a mainstream workforce topic, not a niche concern.
“We’ve taken the view that women’s health is a gap,” she said. “It’s under‑researched, it’s underserved. Within that, there’s a specific gap around menopause and creating a menopause‑friendly workplace.”
Historically, she noted, workplaces were built for a very different reality.
“Workplaces were designed around one person in each family coming to work, which tended to be a male,” she said. “Women, more historically, stayed at home, and if they dealt with these issues, they dealt with them privately.”
Fast‑forward to today, with dual‑income households and a large share of single‑parent families, and that model no longer holds. The workforce has changed; in many places, the workplace has not.
“The workplace hasn’t caught up to this issue,” Pagano said. “Because it wasn’t talked about, it hasn’t been dealt with, and it’s perpetuated until today.”
Pagano has spent most of her career in HR. Looking back, she can now see patterns that at the time were unexplained.
“I remember being earlier in my career and seeing women who were very successful at the pinnacle of their career, stepping back to retire,” she said. “They’re probably 54, 55… and I’m saying, why are the women leaving and not the men?”
Only later, with more data and conversation around menopause, did the picture sharpen.
Pagano said that with a better understanding now, it’s clear many women are struggling with sleep disruption, other health issues and brain fog that make them feel they’re underperforming, yet they have nowhere to discuss this at work. As a result, they often conclude, “I’m not performing, I should step away,” when in reality, some targeted support from employers could prevent that outcome.
The risk is not limited to outright exits. Pagano pointed to increased time off, declined promotions and a quiet withdrawal from stretch opportunities when symptoms aren’t recognised or supported.
“Without being supported, you get increased absence, you get an erosion of trust, which leads to a lack of engagement,” she said. “I’m not feeling well, I’m not supported, I’m not going to put my hand up for a promotion, or I may step away from the workforce entirely.”
The scale is far from marginal. In a typical large employer, roughly half the workforce will be women. Menopause and perimenopause can affect women from their 40s into their 50s and 60s; Pagano noted that some experience related health issues even earlier.
Studies have even found a link between seeking medical help and subsequent exits.
From a talent perspective, the timing of these departures matters. Early‑career turnover is common and somewhat expected; mid‑ and late‑career losses are more costly.
“The highest turnover spike is two to three years in your first few years out of school,” Pagano said. “That turnover will always happen there, for lots of good reasons.”
By contrast, women leaving in their 40s and 50s often occupy senior roles, manage large teams and hold deep institutional knowledge.
“That is when they have the most senior jobs in the organisation, are having the most impact in terms of bottom line, size of teams, institutional knowledge,” she said. “And [they’re] hardest to replace.”
For her, the business case is clear: organisations invest heavily in hiring, developing and promoting talent over decades.
“You want to solve the leak in the bottom of the bucket,” she said.
Menopause is only one piece of a broader pattern. Pagano pointed to cardiovascular disease, migraines, neurological conditions and other areas where either women are affected differently than men, or the impact on women is poorly understood.
“The understanding of women’s health issues, the under‑research of women’s health issues, means that there are issues like menopause that only impact women,” she said. “There are issues that impact women differently… and there is a whole field of issues that are not understood in terms of how they impact women at all.”
That underlines, in her view, why organisations need an explicit focus on women’s health, rather than assuming generic wellness policies will suffice.
Addressing menopause at work does not require a full suite of new benefits overnight. Pagano argued that the first move is cultural rather than financial.
“It starts with a real simple intentionality and just courage to start,” she said. “Just open up the conversation. Making it safe to have the conversations in the workplace greatly reduces the stigma.”
She said she has received “genuine appreciation” from employees simply for bringing the topic into the open.
“People have said, ‘Thank you for bringing this conversation to the workplace. I now feel so supported,’” she said. “It instils a real loyalty and appreciation.”
From there, employers can review policies and benefits through a menopause and women’s‑health lens:
Resource provision does not always require significant spending. Pagano pointed to public‑domain materials from groups such as the Menopause Foundation of Canada and the North American Menopause Society as examples of credible information employers can signpost.
“Even just providing information can be done with cost or at a lower cost,” she said. “There are a number of good resources available in the public domain.”
Information sessions for leaders and staff can help build understanding and confidence. But Pagano keeps returning to the same core advice.
“That’s it – just start the conversation,” she said. “Check that your benefits align, look at what policies you can provide, whether it’s flexibility of work… and what else you can do in the environment to support through tone from the top.”
Join the Women in Insurance Summit Canada 2026 on June 2 at Universal Eventspace in Vaughan, ON, to turn representation into leadership. Hear from industry leaders, build your network, and leave with practical strategies to advance women into decision‑making roles.
