Using a life stages approach to improve leave and flexibility
Flexible working arrangements and leave entitlements including parental leave help Victorians of all genders balance paid work with other responsibilities. But structural and cultural factors(opens in a new window) mean women take on more of this load. On average, women do nearly twice as much unpaid work as men.
The Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (DFFH) is dedicated to continually improving how all staff use leave and flexible working arrangements. To support this, DFFH created new programs focused on life stages – becoming a parent, caring for family members, and experiencing menopause transition. This approach acknowledges that these transitions can be challenging to manage at work, especially when people are unaware of support available or feel worried about asking for it.
To address this, DFFH provided pathways to make support easier to find and help people talk openly about these topics.
Why DFFH took action
DFFH's Gender equality action plan(opens in a new window) includes a goal to support women and all staff through important life stages like parenting, caring and menopause.
Most DFFH staff are women (approximately 77%). Many of them are 45 years old or older (approximately 42%). This means many workers will experience menopause transition while working at DFFH. The department also noticed that women were taking more parental leave than men.
Making parental leave work for everyone
While DFFH already offered parental leave, data showed women took more parental leave than men, and for a longer period of time. To change this, senior leaders shared their own stories about caring for children, and the Parents and Carers Support Hub was created. This helped normalise parental leave for everyone. It showed that taking leave was encouraged at all levels of the department, by all genders.
DFFH created a clear support plan by providing workshops for new parents before going on leave and when coming back to work. People leaders were also provided with training on how to support parental leave and working parents.
Up to 6 hours of one-on-one coaching was also provided for soon-to-be and existing parents. Staff could meet with a specialist psychologist who was uniquely qualified to provide direct support as they moved from ‘working person’ to ‘working parent’. The coaching gave parents a confidential forum to discuss professional and personal wellbeing. This covered topics such as juggling work with parenthood, setting boundaries, career growth, working parent guilt, managing job pressure and more.
Over 15 months, 61 parental leave coaching sessions were delivered to 15 staff. Staff rated this support 4.1 out of 5 for satisfaction. One parent said: ”It was so good to have someone to talk to who understood the issues around parental leave. Having the coaching available makes me feel like my employer cares about my experience as a parent coming back from parental leave”.
This work supports broader changes across DFFH to make caring and returning to work easier for staff. This includes more flexible work and job-sharing options.
De-stigmatising menopause at work
Many DFFH staff are women over 45, but menopause and perimenopause was rarely talked about at work. To change this, in 2024, the Executive Director of People and Culture opened the first ‘Why menopause is everyone's business’ webinar. This leadership support normalised menopause as a workplace issue. The webinar had 251 people attend across 2 sessions and got a 4.5 out of 5 satisfaction rating.
The impact went beyond work. After one session, a young man asked his mother about her menopause experience for the first time, bringing them closer. A young woman had a similar talk with her mother, who said she was grateful workplaces were finally talking about menopause.
Managers also received tailored training. Across 2 years, 5 sessions were delivered to a total of 73 managers who learned how to support staff experiencing menopause transition and how symptoms can affect work. The training got strong satisfaction ratings of 4.7 out of 5. Managers liked the practical advice on workplace changes they could make.
DFFH also created a page on their intranet about the supports available for menopause transition. Staff could access annual awareness sessions, manager training, and up to three private coaching sessions with a specialist psychologist. Between February 2024 and June 2025, 144 menopause coaching sessions were delivered to 99 staff. They rated the services a satisfaction score of 4.6 out of 5.
DFFH worked with an experienced independent provider to deliver all coaching and help create materials. These supports helped staff understand their options and feel more comfortable to manage their health at work.
Real changes in workplace culture
Staff have responded very positively to the new supports. Many said they felt relieved to finally talk about these life stages. They appreciated having practical help available.
Early data shows positive changes at DFFH between 2023 and 2025:
- 3.1% more men taking parental leave
- 3.6% decrease in women taking parental leave, suggesting a more equal gender balance
- 7.4% more men using carers leave
Across all programs, 516 staff joined workshops and coaching over 15 months. The overall satisfaction rating was 4.4 out of 5.
Preliminary data analysis suggests that retention of women in the 45-60 year age group has increased by approximately 6% since the menopause supports for employees were introduced. Ongoing monitoring of retention trends are needed to confirm this preliminary finding. This is because cultural changes in organisation can take some time to embed and show impact. The current data suggests that the supports DFFH offers are helping women experiencing menopause to remain in employment.
DFFH's experience shows when staff feel comfortable discussing leave and flexible work, workplaces become more inclusive and supportive for everyone.
Lessons for other organisations
Visible leadership matters
When leaders speak openly about caring, parenting, and menopause, it encourages staff to do the same. Having executive leaders open webinars and share their stories makes a real difference.
Offer a mix of supports
Coaching, awareness sessions, guides, and clear policies all play different roles. They work best when combined.
Link programs with policy
Make sure entitlements are clear so staff understand what support is available. If possible, have policies ready before launching programs. This reduces confusion.
Provide enough resources
Planning training and communication takes time. Having dedicated resources helps keep the work going.
Partner with specialists
Where possible, work with an outside provider to deliver expert knowledge and high-quality coaching. This strengthens the program and gives staff confidence in the support available.
Fund supports centrally
This removes barriers for staff who may not want to ask their manager for approval on personal matters. At DFFH, central funding means People and Culture pays directly. This avoids the need for approval from divisional budgets.
Next steps
Review how your organisation supports staff to take leave and access flexible work arrangements during major life changes. Use your data, and get feedback from staff, to uncover any gendered barriers or bias in your policies and practices.
View our leading practice resources to get started.
Updated