Sian Hooper, Co-Head of HR, APAC at Bloomberg
Sian Hooper is an accomplished, regional HR leader with more than 20 years of experience across HR and People roles in investment banking, professional services, retail, and in her current capacity as Co-Head of HR for APAC at Bloomberg.
She is passionate about empowering and leading diverse teams, creating tangible outcomes for employees, and driving meaningful HR transformations.
What The Fog* 2024, APAC’s First Menopause EVENT
2024 Leading the Way to a Menopause-Inclusive Workplace
Originally from the UK, Sian has lived in Hong Kong and worked across APAC for 13 years, developing valuable insights into one of the world's most complex regions. Sian is a mother of two and plays an active role in Bloomberg's working families community. She is a strong advocate for flexible and supportive work environments which foster inclusion, and give everyone the opportunity to learn and grow.
Her Story
I had a female colleague in her late thirties that I worked with some years ago. She had been struggling to keep pace in her role – despite being a top performer for several years prior. She was feeling overwhelmed with work and missing deadlines, and having increasingly emotional reactions to setbacks which was creating conflict in her team. In due course, her manager started performance management conversations with her on the basis she was becoming a ‘problem’. Her confidence took a real knock and, a few weeks later, she went on to resign.
Some years later, we met again by chance – she had a new role and was completely re-energized. She explained to me that she had been diagnosed as menopausal at the age of 38 and was now getting the right physical and mental health support. Menopause hadn’t even occurred to her at the time - surely, she was too young and put the symptoms down to being an exhausted working mum. I often reflect on this case as I see it time and time again.
Why didn’t we spot the signs? How much do we really know and understand about menopause? What could we have done differently to support her? What resources and help did she need? Would we have been able to retain her?
On Menopause at Work
The global workforce is changing and the composition of every workplace will change with it. My view is that business leaders should welcome the opportunity to reconsider how we support employees at every stage of their career, particularly as the workforce gets older.
Menopause, a significant and debilitating transition for half the community, must be part of the conversation when considering how to better support our people. To my mind, this isn’t about good corporate citizenship or being somehow altruistic. There are clear incentives for those businesses that do get it right. There is meaningful scope for lower retention and turnover costs by putting more care into menopause support and minimizing the sense of disruption for those women going through it. Moreover, menopause often coincides with senior women reaching the apex – the most influential, the most valuable – parts of their careers.
The case for retaining those people at their most impactful point should speak for itself. HR leaders and organizations are generally doing a better job at prioritizing wellbeing, diversity and inclusion at work – but we must broaden our horizons and consider the unseen impact of menopause on people and organizations at large.
