Fostering an Inclusive Work Environment: Embracing Diversity in Every Form

BY Angelica Frey | June 26, 2023

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Supporting Women’s Health Through Every Life Stage

Being a woman today often feels like balancing on a tightrope—juggling career, health, family, and societal expectations, all while navigating life's complex transitions. As women face these challenges, it’s up to companies to offer tailored healthcare and support that evolves with them at every stage.During From Day One’s April virtual conference, expert panelists shared how their organizations are supporting women’s health through every life stage in a session moderated by Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton, reporter at the Denver Post.Traditional healthcare often falls short in supporting women through every stage of life. Kathleen Davin, director of people operations at Maven Clinic, the largest virtual clinic for women’s and family health, sees the difference a more personalized approach can make. “We talk a lot about really taking a one-size-fits-one approach to employee benefits and not a one size fits all,” she said.After a high-risk pregnancy, Davin returned from parental leave with a renewed appreciation for holistic support. Living with type 1 diabetes, she used Maven to meet monthly with diabetes educators and accessed lactation consultants and sleep specialists during postpartum. Through Maven’s internal Wallet program, she was reimbursed for costs traditional plans often ignore—like a wearable breast pump and acupuncture. “I didn’t have the stress of figuring all these things out with a new baby at home,” she said.This tailored approach highlights a broader shift in benefit design. “It’s not just about checking the box on ‘Yep, we offer these benefits.’ It’s really thinking about delivering care that is supporting employees in as many of their moments of need that are very different and complex,” Davin said.That includes supporting midlife transitions like menopause. Despite affecting half the workforce, only 22% of employers offer menopause support. “It’s a super stigmatized stage of life,” said Davin. “But it also leads to a lot of impact on engagement and productivity in the workplace.” Maven provides 24/7 access to specialized providers, community support, and clinically vetted content—giving employees trusted care and connection.Personal and Professional BalancePhyllis Stewart Pires, associate VP of employee support programs & services at Stanford University, brings a deeply personal perspective to the conversation around integrating career and caregiving. “I had three different pregnancy experiences, three different postpartum experiences,” she said. “I leveraged my part-time, extended leave, and gradual return. I’ve used all forms of childcare over the course of almost 30 years of parenting.” Her story of caring for her children while navigating elder care for her parents, all while continuing to build her career illustrates the often-invisible complexity many employees carry.That experience has shaped not only her leadership style, but the programs she advocates for. At Stanford, Stewart Pires has led the development of a holistic well-being approach, one that addresses physical, mental, financial, and career health throughout an employee’s time at the university. “We’ve created something we call Babble Back, after the baby bonding leave ends,” she said. “It brings together a cohort of people coming back from leave and gives them a safe place to navigate those early challenges.” The program offers resources ranging from childcare guidance to having conversations with managers about breastfeeding.Supporting employees through those intersections of work and life requires cultural change. “First and foremost,” she said, “it’s thinking about whether you have a culture in which people feel they can be vulnerable.” From Fertility to MenopauseFor Neha Yadav, director of total rewards at Weight Watchers, supporting women’s mental health means embracing their entire journey, from fertility to menopause, with a workplace culture rooted in care, flexibility, and proactive communication.Panelists shared insights on the topic "Supporting Women’s Health Through Every Life Stage" (photo by From Day One)“The entire spectrum of women in the work environment has changed,” Yadav said. “We’ve taken on more responsibilities, but we haven’t let go of any. It’s important to create an atmosphere where you feel safe, welcomed, and understood.”Yadav emphasized that support needs to be both cultural and practical. When her newborn was flagged for additional medical testing shortly after birth, the response from her team left a lasting impact. “I was in pain, emotionally and physically drained, and panicking,” she said. “But my team said, ‘If you need more time or access to benefits, we’ll help you.’ That’s the kind of support that builds retention.”Education around available benefits—before a crisis hits—is another critical component. “You can’t send a new mom a link and expect her to research while she’s in crisis,” she said. “Organizations need to push information out ahead of time, so employees are empowered when they need it most.”At WW, that proactive approach includes incentives for prenatal care, support for fertility and adoption, and even pet insurance. The company also offers community-based resources, including internal groups where new parents can connect and share. “A peer support network, trained managers, and benefit options tailored to different phases of life—these all matter,” Yadav said. Life Stage Support ProgramsFor GHD’s Global Benefits Manager Katy Bellmore, their mission to meet its people where they are is personal. “After I first had my children, I wanted to do it all,” Bellmore said. “I didn’t ask for flexibility at work, and that’s my biggest regret. I wish I had behaved differently.” Her experience now informs the way GHD supports employees, especially when it comes to life transitions like parenting, caregiving, or midlife health changes. To address these needs, GHD launched its Life Stages initiative, an effort driven by employee feedback. “People wanted more personalized support that reflects where they are in their life,” Bellmore explained. “Whether that’s starting a family, managing a chronic condition, or navigating something like menopause.”One example is GHD’s expanded midlife health and wellness stage, which includes menopause support through virtual care platforms like Maven. “We’re creating a space for open conversations, reducing the stigma, and normalizing this stage of life,” she said. Maven bridges gaps by offering virtual coaching and care navigation, she added. Education plays a key role. Employees are also given tips on how to talk to managers about their needs—from eldercare responsibilities to navigating childcare options.Ultimately, the goal is to create “a culture of support and awareness, where our employees feel seen, heard, and understood—no matter what stage they’re in.”Supporting women’s health throughout every life stage is about cultivating a culture of care, flexibility, and understanding. As companies listen to women’s needs and embrace individualized support, they ensure better health outcomes, higher retention, and a thriving workforce.Carrie Snider is a Phoenix-based journalist and marketing copywriter.(Photo by Paperkites/iStock)

Carrie Snider May 29, 2025

Learning to Talk Openly About the Challenges That Women Face at Work and in Life

When the Trump administration announced on April 23 that The Department of Health and Human Services would be terminating contracts with all four research centers working on the Women’s Health Initiative, the largest research study of its kind, the backlash was so immediate and vocal that the administration reversed course the very next day. Women’s healthcare feels constantly under attack, but is crucial to more than 50% of our population. Whether they’re dealing with motherhood, miscarriages, reproductive choice, menopause, and more, women still face overwhelming cultural pressure to stay silent about their challenges. In her new book “Normalize It: Upending the Silence, Stigma, and Shame That Shape Women’s Lives,” psychologist and author Jessica Zucker, PhD, brings an unflinching new look at what needs to be said more openly at a time of backlash—and how employers can respond. She shared highlights during a fireside chat at From Day One’s April virtual conference.Breaking the Silence Women are impacted personally and professionally by the stigma around their healthcare—but this can be minimized by being open about “taboo” issues. “Telling our stories lets us know we’re not alone, [and] it also creates a collective pool of knowledge that can help us grow personally, and as part of that growth, learn how to get our feelings heard and our needs met,” said moderator Lynne Peeples, science writer and author.Zucker does this herself by being open about her own experiences: she had a miscarriage during her second pregnancy at 16 weeks, during which she had to cut the umbilical cord herself coached by a doctor on the phone, bring the fetus in a bag to the doctor’s office for testing, and undergo an unmedicated D&C.“This informed and changed my professional and personal trajectory,” she said. “I had been sitting for years with women talking about the isolation, the alienation, the feelings of disenfranchisement in the aftermath of loss. But until I went through it myself, I just couldn’t relate.” She learned from research that many women who experience a miscarriage blame themselves, feel ashamed, and experience a sense of body failure. To combat these mental health issues, she began the “I Had a Miscarriage” campaign with the New York Times. “That was a compassionate urging for women around the world to think about, ‘If you’ve gone through an experience like this and you haven’t shared it, why not?’” Dr. Jessica Zucker, right, spoke with journalist Lynne Peeples during the fireside chat (photo by From Day One)Our hustle culture glorifies the notion that we can do anything we put our minds to, Zucker says, but reproductive health is mostly beyond our control. It’s a dichotomy that often leads to frustration and feelings of failure. Zucker is pleased to see celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, who had a recent special on menopause, talk more honestly about women’s health. “I do think that the advent of celebrities and others being open about their stories does invite and hopefully urge people to think about their stories, share their stories, and to understand that this can happen to anybody,” she said. How HR Can Help In her book, Zucker shares a psychological study in which people watch two versions of a visibly uncomfortable woman giving a presentation while undergoing a hot flash. When asked if she’s alright in version one, she says she is just warm. In version two, she says she is fine, just going through menopause. Respondents noted that she seems like a more confident leader in the second version. So why aren’t women more empowered to be that straightforward in the workplace? HR can help, Zucker says, by encouraging employees to be open, asking caring questions, and checking in. “In a society where we think ‘productivity all the way,’ it’s tempting to push down our pain, but I think it does backfire,” Zucker said. “If HR was there to acknowledge what somebody's going through, it doesn't mean that they have to be a therapist, it’s just asking the question and holding space and acknowledging what somebody is going through [that makes a difference].” Workplaces should hold space for feelings of grief, despair, and vulnerability among employees, recognizing all the ways that might manifest. “Everyone is different in how they process and when they decide to share their story. How can we be sensitive to that?” Peeples asked. Know that your colleagues might not be ready to share in the same way you would be and proceed gingerly but directly to leave space for psychological safety without causing shame.“Just ask: ‘How are you doing? What are you going through? Is there anything we can do to support you? We are here for you,’” Zucker said. “Let them know there is this culture of openness and availability of support, even if the person doesn’t think they want it right now, or even if they never take it.” Focusing on Mental HealthIn her book, Zucker shares that when faced with someone else’s grief, 70% of us don’t know what to say. “We end up relying on platitudes,” she said. Instead, it’s better to be honest and caring, avoiding statements like “At least…” or other phrases of toxic positivity. It shuts people down, allowing shame to seep in. And shame, Zucker says, is what can lead to more self-destructive behavior, like addiction or dysfunctional relationships.  The more space women are given to express themselves, the better their brains will function. “Putting feelings into words, rather than keeping them bottled up, literally changes the way the brain responds to stress by diminishing activity in the amygdala, the part of the brain that processes emotions like anxiety, fear, and stress,” Peeples shared from Zucker’s book. When given the freedom to share their feelings, people become more focused and more present. And with better brain function comes increased workplace productivity. “The more we keep inside, the less present and the less productive we are,” Zucker said. She hopes that the movement for more honesty in conversations surrounding women’s healthcare will become a positive cycle. “I can’t tell you how often I hear somebody say, ‘I shared such and such, and then this person told me the same thing had happened to them.’ And that exchange is so enlivening. It’s so validating,” Zucker said. “The person inevitably feels less alone. And hopefully it inspires them to keep talking about it, because if we keep talking about it, the stigma can melt away.”That cycle can begin in the workplace. “If we come to our work and our colleagues with a sense of openness, authenticity, candidness, it goes a long way. If we can model that as leaders, then the people who work for us may be able to do the same for those who work under them. Those people will become leaders too, eventually,” Zucker said. “Leading with empathy and heart, even if it doesn’t seem like it fits with the role, is very important.” Katie Chambers is a freelance writer and award-winning communications executive with a lifelong commitment to supporting artists and advocating for inclusion. Her work has been seen in HuffPost and several printed essay collections, among others, and she has appeared on Cheddar News, iWomanTV, On New Jersey, and CBS New York.(Photo by SDI Productions/iStock)

Katie Chambers May 22, 2025

The Importance of Family and Wellness Benefits in a Highly Disrupted Industry

Lucy Avsharyan, the vice president of benefits at United Talent Agency, knows firsthand how life’s biggest plot twists, like parenting twins, often overlap with your most pivotal career moments. At From Day One’s April virtual conference, she walked attendees through how UTA has transformed family support benefits into strategic tools for employee attraction, retention, and well-being. Avsharyan traced her journey as an employee back to the moment her twins were born. “During those first years, I was exhausted at work and home,” she said. That personal pinch point catalyzed UTA’s early experiments with gender-neutral parental leave and on-demand backup childcare. What started as a way to make life easier for working parents quickly became a competitive advantage for UTA: “When families are cared for, they can show up as their best selves,” Avsharyan said.While benefits served chiefly as a retention level a decade ago, they’re now non-negotiables for many prospective employees. Many now log into benefits portals with the same enthusiasm that was once reserved for salary benchmarks, she says.Employees Asking Harder Questions“Candidates now come armed with benefits spreadsheets,” said moderator Nicole Smith, editorial audience director at Harvard Business Review. “And they know exactly what they want,” Avsharyan added. “They’re asking, ‘What’s your global parental-leave policy? Do you offer mental-health stipends? How many hours of backup care are included each year?’”These changes in attitudes toward employee benefits inspired a portal overhaul at UTA, complete with personalized dashboards that show accrued leave, dependent care allotment, and wellness stipend balances in real-time. UTA also promoted closer partnerships between benefits, talent, and finance teams. “We needed to move beyond headcount metrics. Talent acquisition wanted enrollment rates. Finance wanted utilization and ROI,” she said. UTA now tracks which offerings drive applications, boost tenure, and reduce unplanned absences by developing a simple data analytics framework.Designing for a Global WorkforceThe conversation turned global when Nicole asked about benefits in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) and Asia-Pacific (APAC) markets. Avsharyan says a one-size-fits-all model doesn’t work in all regions. “In Europe, statutory parental leave can exceed 16 weeks, but mental-health coverage lags. In parts of Asia, it’s the reverse.” Avsharyan said.UTA solves this problem with a modular benefits platform that combines a core U.S.  package (paid leave, backup childcare, and a wellness stipend) with region-specific add-ons, from fertility treatments in the U.K. to financial-wellness workshops in Singapore. Lucy Avsharyan of UTA spoke with Nicole Smith of Harvard Business Review during the fireside chat (photo by From Day One)“That approach lets us maintain equity—everyone gets a baseline of care—while respecting local norms and regulations,” Avsharyan said. Her advice to organizations struggling to find that balance is to “Listen first, then pilot fast.”The Baseline BenefitsMental health continues to be an essential part of a benefits package. “Well-being isn’t a perk, it’s a productivity imperative,” she said. Utilization of wellness benefits rose by 40% after UTA recently added no-cost therapy sessions, virtual mindfulness programs, and emergency financial planning services to its Employee Assistance Program. Job flexibility is also redefining work-life balance. “We trust our agents and creatives to deliver results,” Avsharyan said. “Where and when they work is secondary.” UTA’s hybrid model grants employees “deep-focus days” in the office and fully remote weeks. “Every team defines its norms, when to collaborate in person, when to block off a remote day, so people aren’t guessing,” Avsharyan said. But even with baseline benefits in place, Avsharyan continues to look out for trends and changes in the industry. “We’ll never be ‘done’—our people’s needs evolve too fast,” she said. She envisions next-generation benefits marketplaces, where employees can easily swap stipend dollars among categories, like shifting funds from gym memberships to backup childcare. The guiding principle remains constant: continuous listening. “We survey twice a year, but the real insights come from casual check-ins and manager hurdles,” Avsharyan said. “That feedback loop lets us iterate benefits in near real time, so when the next personal earthquake hits, our people know we’ve got them.”Ade Akin covers workplace wellness, HR trends, and digital health solutions.(Photo by Jacob Wackerhausen/iStock)

Ade Akin May 20, 2025