Want To Run A Good Company? You Can’t Ignore Menopause Anymore
Nov 29, 2023
auto_awesome
Dan Simons, cofounder of Farmers Restaurant Group, and Amy Gallo, cohost of the HBR podcast Women at Work, discuss the importance of understanding and addressing menopause in the workplace. They share personal experiences, highlight the stigma and biases surrounding menopause, and explore ways to improve women's healthcare benefits. Practical advice is given for managing symptoms and communicating needs effectively.
Normalizing discussions around menopause at work is crucial for creating a supportive and understanding work environment.
Prioritizing employee mental health leads to increased productivity and overall happiness, and organizations should focus on creating a supportive environment.
Deep dives
The Importance of Normalizing the Discussion around Menopause at Work
Dan Simon, co-founder of Farmer's Restaurant Group, emphasizes the importance of normalizing the discussion around menopause at work. He believes that menopause is a human issue and that all individuals should understand and be educated about it. Dan's motivation comes from personal experiences, such as his mother being a GP who talked openly about women's health issues, as well as conversations with colleagues and his own wife's journey through menopause. By normalizing the discussion around menopause, Dan aims to create a supportive and understanding work environment.
The Need for Comfortable Conversations about Menopause
Amy Gallo, author and contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, discusses the importance of feeling comfortable talking about menopause at work. She shares her personal journey of initially feeling uncomfortable discussing menopause and gradually becoming more open about her experiences. Amy highlights that engaging in conversations about menopause helps break down the stigma and leads to better understanding and support. She also emphasizes the positive response she received when sharing her experiences with male colleagues and the need for more leaders like Dan who are willing to speak up about menopause.
The Connection Between Mental Health and Work
Dan Simon extends the discussion to mental health in the workplace and emphasizes that mental health is just as important as physical health. He believes that prioritizing employee mental health leads to increased productivity and overall happiness. Dan encourages leaders to have human conversations rather than solely focusing on business objectives. By addressing mental health in the workplace, organizations can create a supportive environment that allows individuals to thrive.
Taking Action to Support Employee Health
Both Dan Simon and Amy Gallo stress the importance of taking action to support employee health, including menopause-related challenges. They suggest practical steps such as incorporating menopause awareness and education into company events, inviting guest speakers to discuss menopause and mental health, providing accessible healthcare options from providers knowledgeable about menopause, and working towards destigmatizing menopause and other mental health conversations. Taking these actions demonstrates an organization's commitment to employee well-being and creates a more supportive and inclusive work culture.
The working world has gotten a lot more open about a lot of things, from mental health challenges to the realities of being a working parent. But a topic that is still taboo for many is the subject of menopause. Today's guests share why understanding more about this phase of life and how it affects women's physical and mental health is paramount to running a successful organization.
In this episode Morra speaks with Dan Simons, cofounder of Farmers Restaurant Group, a business with $100 million in revenue. He’s on a personal mission to normalize conversations about menopause at work as part of a larger part of his leadership which includes being more open about mental health. Joining the conversation with her perspective is Amy Gallo: author, contributing editor at Harvard Business Review, and cohost of the HBR podcast Women at Work.
Read Dan's blog post here: https://medium.com/@dansimonssays/menopause-menallpause-leadersallpause-2fff22228dc0
Get the Snipd podcast app
Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode
Save any moment
Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways
Share & Export
Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more
AI-powered podcast player
Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features
Discover highlights
Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode