In this episode of Pause for Thought, I talk with Helen Bang, Business Manager for global material science giant Avery Dennison’s NZ operation, about how one person can make a difference.
With over 20 years experience in a variety of roles in the print industry, she has been lucky enough to work for both family-owned businesses and global corporates. This breadth of exposure has fostered her deep interest in how things fit together, and most importantly how people interact with each other.
In recent years, as an extension to her ‘day job’, Helen has led initiatives that bring teams together across ANZ to give back to the communities in which Avery Dennison people work. Something that has proved more rewarding than she could have imagined. Fostering relationships with various not for profit organisations and the communities that they serve, is something that she feels honoured to be part of.
Committed to driving positive change and fostering a culture of empathy and inclusivity, Helen is also an advocate for changing the way workplaces and society as a whole talk about Menopause. She has been actively involved in leading conversations at Avery Dennison on this topic, along with implementing a framework for the business to encourage open discussions and raise awareness about this important aspect of life, and how it affects us and those around us.
In this conversation, Helen and I talk about:
- Helen’s personal peri/menopause journey
- What inspired her to do something about menopause at Avery Dennison
- Where she started and how the path has unfolded
- The challenges and benefits of making a difference from ‘outside HR’
- What’s next as she looks to take the work from NZ to Oz and Asia Pac; and
- Her advice to other non-HR change makers who feel inspired to become menopause champions.
PLUS we answer some FABULOUS questions from our audience including:
- What questions can I use to host a team menopause chat?
- What are some examples of menopause policies and guidelines to help us make a start?
- How do I work with my manufacturing managers to understand and make accomodations?
- How do we get HR to care about menopause at work?
- As a local government organisation, how would you suggest we do something in an environment where everything is under scrutiny? and
- What is the experience of non-binary people and trans men and how might they go about reaching out for help?
I’ve put supporting materials for our answers to several of these questions into the LinkedIn Menopause@Work (NZ) group.
To access those posts and find out about future Pause for Thought conversations, please join the Menopause@Work (NZ) LinkedIn Community where we work to enrich, elevate and amplify the workplace conversation about peri/menopause/te ruahinetanga: – https://www.linkedin.com/groups/14002543/
OUR NEXT PAUSE FOR THOUGHT is on Wednesday 9 October at 7.00-8.00pm NZST with Helen Tomlinson, the UK Government’s Menopause Employment Champion, a world-first role and a sign of the UK’s commitment to supporting menopause at work from the highest levels.
FIND OUT MORE AND REGISTER HERE.
Be safe and well.
