Making Menopause Work

Menopause is a natural life stage affecting millions of people, yet it remains a largely invisible issue in most workplaces. In this 90-min workshop, we’ll explore menopause as a critical component of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion. Drawing from evidence-based recommendations from The Menopause Society, this session will help leaders, HR professionals, and employees understand how menopause interacts with gender equity, age inclusivity, and workplace wellbeing.

Participants will gain insight into the physical, emotional, and cognitive symptoms of menopause and their potential impact on workplace performance and engagement. We’ll explore real-world examples of organizational policies, benefits, and cultural practices that support menopausal employees, including how to create psychologically safe spaces for disclosure and how to equip supervisors with practical guidance.

• Through thoughtful discussion and review of case studies, participants will leave with:

• A deeper understanding of menopause.

• Tools to assess how inclusive their current policies and practices are.

• A road map for normalizing menopause conversations in the workplace.

• Strategies to support employees through education, flexible accommodations, and benefits design.

Whether you’re just beginning to think about menopause in your DEI efforts or are looking to expand an existing wellness strategy, this workshop offers practical, inclusive solutions to make menopause work, for everyone.

Kylie Bayer is the Human Resources Director at the Tualatin Valley Water District and has spent her entire career in the public sector. She holds a master’s in public administration, a bachelor’s in education, and the SHRM-Senior Certified Professional designation.

She’s also a perimenopausal woman navigating hot flashes and policy gaps, making her uniquely qualified to lead this session.

Kylie has presented a national, regional, and local conferences including Engaging Local Government Leaders (ELGL), the Northwest Women’s Leadership Academy, the American Water Works Association (PNWS), and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA). Her topics range from core HR functions to DEI in public service. In addition to external presentations, she regularly lead in-house trainings for employees and managers at her own organization. Kylie’s sessions blend practical guidance with humor and heart, because people work better when they’re informed and entertained. She has also presented on this topic at the 2025 NWPEDC conference.