Succeeding in your career involves more than just hard work. It's crucial to prioritize your physical health, mental well-being, and personal boundaries. Here's how to achieve that.
In recent years, significant progress has been made to enhance support for women in the workplace. One noteworthy example is JPMorgan's recent decision to broaden its family leave policies, which now allows all new parents to enjoy 16 weeks of paid leave for welcoming a child through birth or adoption. Additionally, employees can take four weeks off to care for a sick family member, while women receive up to 20 days of leave following a miscarriage. Though JPMorgan is just one organization, it employs over 240,000 individuals across more than 60 countries. Such initiatives are vital in addressing the wage gap, where mothers earn only 58 cents for every dollar earned by fathers, all while managing the majority of caregiving tasks.
This policy change exemplifies a key topic we discuss often: the significance of women's health in the workplace. To advance in our careers, we must recognize the interplay between our physical health, mental state, and financial stability. In this discussion, we're joined by Joy Altimare, Chief Revenue Officer at EHE Health. EHE specializes in creating preventative health programs for businesses, including on-site clinics, expanded telehealth services, and research initiatives to better understand employees' health needs. Joy also hosts the podcast, What the Health!?, which focuses on the critical healthcare issues facing women and potential solutions.
Joy provides insights on various aspects of women's health throughout different life stages, beginning with pregnancy and childbirth. We examine what constitutes adequate paid parental leave to ensure the well-being of both mothers and infants and explore options if your employer's offerings fall short. Joy shares her experience in advocating for enhanced parental leave policies and offers advice on how to initiate similar discussions at your workplace.
We also discuss the implications of women's health in the post-Roe landscape, emphasizing the necessity for employers to engage in this dialogue. Companies like Starbucks, Microsoft, and Netflix have begun covering workers' travel expenses related to abortion, yet such policies can be misaligned—tune in to hear why. Joy clarifies how businesses can support employees seeking abortions while respecting their medical privacy.
We also tackle the topic of women's mental health. According to the American Psychiatric Association, women are twice as likely as men to experience depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and PTSD, all of which can impact their ability to support themselves and their families. Joy reflects on the advancements made in addressing burnout since the pandemic and shares practical strategies to prioritize mental health, including setting clear boundaries at work. (Saying no is perfectly acceptable.)
In our Mailbag segment, we respond to a listener seeking alternatives to 529 college savings plans for her children if they choose not to pursue higher education. Another listener aims to break free from a cycle of credit card debt. In Thrive, we discuss four essential healthcare expenses to maintain, even during economic downturns.
You can learn more about Joy here.
