Healthcare Equity In The Workplace — How Are Kiwi Businesses Measuring Up In 2023?

If your employer isn’t offering you leave for menopause or gender transitioning, it might be time to look for a new job.

When it comes to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) today’s workplaces have come a long way, and an increasing number of companies are using DEI benefits to stay competitive in their quest to attract and retain talent.

A recent poll[1] by Frog Recruitment highlighted the demand for menopause and menstrual policies in New Zealand, shining the spotlight on one of the ways employers could promote equity and support the genuine needs of a vital group of their workforce. While 56 percent of poll participants thought New Zealand businesses should offer paid menstrual leave, only five percent of employers actually do.

With more than 60 percent of poll respondents admitting that menstrual pain or perimenopause symptoms significantly impacted their experience at work, Frog Recruitment Managing Director Shannon Barlow believes employers should be putting it at the top of their policy priority list.

“The New Zealand workforce is made up of 830 000 women aged between 40 and 54 years[2] and most will be experiencing varying stages of menopausal transition that can last between two and twelve years. The poll shows women are suffering significant menstrual or perimenopause symptoms at work, and they’re doing it in silence as until recently, the issues have been taboo.

“Whether you’re working at a small start-up or are part of a large multinational, being an equitable workplace is essential in our competitive and global labour market,” she says. “More Kiwi employers must catch up with the rest of the Western world and start offering menopause policies and menstrual leave — this can look like paid leave days, options to work from home and a policy that is designed to normalise these issues and ensure people do not need to use their sick leave for their essential body functions.”

Barlow points out that not all New Zealand employers are falling behind in offering modern health policies.

“A number of Kiwi businesses are doing diversity well. Fletcher Building offers ten days of gender affirmation leave for staff who are gender transitioning, and advertising company GroupM has recently announced a new menopause policy to better support women in the workplace. A collective of trade unions in Australia is lobbying to legalise paid menstrual, and menopause leave.”

As DEI policies build momentum, New Zealand is catching up with countries like Netherlands, Korea and Canada where equitable workplaces are the rule, not the exception. Many offer benefits such as fertility treatment cover but here in New Zealand, this is not common practice, with less than 11 percent of poll respondents being offered this in their current workplace.

Barlow says Kiwi businesses should be doing more to meet our changing world.

“Employees today have much more on their wish list. Staying competitive means perpetually reviewing benefits and policies to ensure they fit our rapidly evolving workforce. Equity can be embedded in company policy in many forms and ensures fairness in culture and nationality, education, race, sexuality and gender and age.

“The best way to attract and retain talent is to ensure people feel recognised and valued. Leading with equitable health benefits supports your employees through the different stages of their working life, but will also improve awareness of these issues, which can have a positive impact on your whole workforce in a broader social sense.”

1 The Frog Recruitment Equity in the Workplace online poll took place between February 18 – 20, 2023, with 1064 respondents.

2 stats.govt.nz People employed, unemployed, not in labour force, by age. March 2022.

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