Vira Health

What keeps employees quiet about menopause at work isn't indifference - it's risk. We asked this question live during a recent Stella webinar. Only 24% said yes, completely. Another 36% said only somewhat, and a third landed on "not very" or "not at all" comfortable. Meanwhile, when we asked what's actually affecting their ability to perform at work right now, menopause symptoms and exhaustion topped the list. Most employees experiencing menopause symptoms at work aren't going to bring it up with their manager unprompted, even though it's affecting their day-to-day performance. A policy on paper doesn't fix that. What closes the gap is training managers to recognise it and make the conversation feel safe to start - before someone has to work up the nerve to raise it. Curious how our employee benefits product member zone helps close that gap? Reach out to Rhona Macdonald or Robert Nutley

Last month, we hosted a live webinar, 'Breastfeeding Success: Support, Solutions, and Self-Care', with Dr. Jillian McKenna and Alice Pelton. We heard from parents about what would actually make a difference - more practical, judgment-free spaces to ask questions and get support during the return to work. That's exactly what Vira Health's member zone is designed to provide. It supports employees through pregnancy, postpartum and parenting in more than 100 countries and across 20 languages, with clinically reviewed education, live webinars and Care Advocates who help parents find the resources they need while feeding or navigating feeding at work. #WomensHealth #EmployeeBenefits #ParentalSupport #InfantFeeding #BreastfeedingSupport

Employer support for parents tends to concentrate on pregnancy and the first year postpartum, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀. Developmental worries, sleep disruption, school transitions, mealtime challenges, frequent bouts of common illnesses, an unexpected diagnosis, friendship issues or teenage boundary testing. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 👀 The Vira Health Member Zone parenting plan covers childhood up to 18 years. It includes clinically reviewed information as videos and articles across five key areas: 🩺 Health and development, from milestones at 12 months through to sleep, nutrition, recognising developmental delay and puberty 🧩 Parenting approaches and family dynamics, including boundaries, discipline, sibling conflict and challenging family situations 🏫 Education and online safety, covering choice of nursery, school transitions, bullying, screen time and social media 🧠 Children's mental health, covering the signs that a child is struggling, techniques for emotional regulation and when to seek professional help 🌱 Looking after yourself as a parent, including burnout, solo or co-parenting, loneliness, sleep deprivation and managing work when children are repeatedly sick Members learn at their own pace, and Vira Health Member Zone is available in more than 100 countries and across 20 languages. Our Care Advocates help them find what they need. For an employer, this is the difference between a parent who is working out the answer alone at midnight and a parent who has a trusted source of information in one place. 🔄 If you want to talk about what better support for working parents could look like in your organisation, contact Rhona Macdonald. #WorkingParents #EmployeeBenefits #WorkplaceWellbeing #Parenting

Most managers know how to spot burnout, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝘅. 🔍 In this clip from a Vira Health Member Zone webinar on parenting through sensory overload, 𝗗𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗱 𝗛𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸. Overwhelm is acute and sensory. It can arrive on a good day and it usually resolves with a short break. Burnout is slower and heavier, drawing on emotional and cognitive reserves. It requires sustained change to recover from. So many people reach burnout without anyone noticing the earlier signal, because overwhelm and burnout look similar from the outside. The webinar covered what overwhelm actually feels like: 😬 Skin feels tight 🔊 Sounds seem sharper ⚡ Rising sense of agitation 🏃 Urge to escape a situation, even when nothing bad is happening This is the nervous system saying it cannot process any more input. 🧠 For an employer, spotting the signs and offering support in time changes the outcome. A parent who understands overwhelm is more able to take the necessary steps to recover quickly before it becomes something that needs months to repair. This is where the Vira Health Member Zone can help. We provide webinars, educational information and videos, all clinically reviewed, so employees understand what is happening to them and can take control of their health and wellbeing. If you want to talk about what better support for working parents could look like in your organisation, contact Rhona Macdonald. #WorkingParents #ParentalWellbeing #EmployeeBenefits #WorkplaceWellbeing

Most employers have a maternity leave policy, but very few know how well it matches what mothers actually experience and need support with. Alice Pelton, founder of The Lowdown, is running a survey to ask women how they planned their maternity leave and what actually happened, so the scale of the difference is clear. It is open to anyone who is planning a family, pregnant, on leave now or took leave years ago. 📋 The survey covers when to stop working, how much time to take, what the household can afford and whether they will miss their job. 🔍 Employers sit inside every one of those decisions and rarely see the reasoning behind them. Better evidence on what leave and the return to work actually demand is useful to anyone designing a benefit or writing a policy. We are sharing this because our members often describe a wide gap between their plan and reality. The survey takes five minutes and the link is in the comments and in Alice's post below. #MaternityLeave #ParentalLeave #WorkingParents #EmployeeBenefits

Returning to work after parental leave is often harder than the leave itself, and it is the part employers plan for least.   Our Product Marketing Director, Emily Turner, recently hosted one of our Vira Health Member Zone webinars on life after parental leave with Dr Frances Yarlett. They talked about the shift in identity, the practical juggle and the unspoken expectation to perform as though nothing has changed.   💬 These conversations matter, and they are not happening often enough in the workplace.   👀 Emily has written more about what the webinar covered and her own experiences. Her reflections are worth a few minutes of your time if you want to understand what the return to work really asks of people, and what employers can do about it.    #ParentalLeave #ReturnToWork #WorkingParents #EmployeeBenefits #WorkplaceWellbeing

Most managers think they know what a struggling employee looks like. 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀. 🔍 Men are around half as likely as women to take time off work when they are struggling. What shows up instead is presenteeism, being physically at their desk while performing well below their usual rate, which is far harder for an employer to see. In this clip from a recent Vira Health Member Zone webinar on men's mental health at work, our clinicians explain what to look for instead. The signs are rarely sadness or tearfulness. They tend to be: 😤 Irritability and a shorter temper than usual 🎯 A loss of purpose, cynicism or withdrawal from the wider team 🧠 Concentration lapses and memory slips The difficulty is that a high-functioning employee can mask all of this at work while the real effects ripple out at home, impacting their sleep, relationships and the things they used to enjoy. The risk is that a manager can see someone coping and miss the signs that someone is struggling. Knowing the difference between ordinary stress and something more serious is what lets a manager step in before it costs someone their wellbeing. 💬 If you want to talk about what better mental health support could look like for your workforce, contact Rhona Macdonald. #MensHealth #MentalHealth #EmployeeBenefits #WorkplaceWellbeing

Menopause symptoms are often invisible at work. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲. Access to support during menopause can help those going through this life stage feel more in control, as this feedback from one Stella member highlights... 💬 "I had a very difficult time this week. I was able to use the recommended exercises to stay afloat. I also appreciate the notes and reminders that I am not alone and other women are going through it too. I saw my mom struggle with menopause and I was all she had. Felt alone going through it, but the Stella App helped me feel not so alone." It is heartbreaking that she had watched her mother go through menopause with little professional support, because that becomes the bar for what she expected herself. It is heartwarming to know the Stella app helped her when she needed it most, at any time of day or night. The Stella app gives members self-guided menopause information, workout videos, guided meditation audio tracks, symptom tracking and practical ways to build healthier habits into their lifestyle. For an employer, this is the difference between a workforce managing menopause invisibly and a workforce that has somewhere to turn before symptoms start shaping decisions about work. 🔄 If you want to talk about what better menopause support could look like for your workforce, contact Rhona Macdonald. #Menopause #EmployeeBenefits #WorkplaceWellbeing #WomensHealth

Our clinical operations team is the engine that keeps Vira's virtual clinics running across the United States. We are looking for a 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 to support the Vira Health Member Zone and Stella, our specialist online menopause clinic. 🌍 This role sits at the heart of clinical delivery. You'll be the person who keeps our virtual clinics running smoothly across three healthcare systems - coordinating clinicians, supporting members, and owning the operational rhythm that lets our practitioners focus on what they do best. This could be the role for you if you have: ✅ 2+ years in clinical operations, virtual care, or healthcare member support ✅ Knowledge of US healthcare systems, including payer eligibility, credentialing and chart audits ✅ Strong communication skills and the ability to build rapport quickly across members, clinicians and internal teams ✅ Experience owning work independently in a remote-working environment across digital platforms and health technology tools 🔗 Apply via the link in the comments. #Hiring #ClinicalOperations #HealthcareJobs #DigitalHealth #RemoteHealthcare #WomensHealth

Many parents stop breastfeeding before they planned to and a lack of support at work is one of the main reasons why. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗲. Nearly a quarter of countries place no requirement on employers to provide breastfeeding breaks, according to the International Labour Organization. It’s World Breastfeeding Week and we want to talk about infant feeding openly and without judgement. 🌍 The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, then feeding alongside other food and water for up to two years. Worldwide, 44% of babies under six months old are exclusively breastfed. Breastfeeding has many associated benefits, including helping protect newborns against infection, and it is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer in mothers. Breastfeeding is not right for everyone - it may not be possible, or too painful. Formula is a safe and healthy option, and parents deserve support in whichever direction they take. The pressure to do the best for a baby is enormous, and access to skilled help changes what that pressure feels like. Whether a parent carries on feeding on their own terms then rests on things an employer controls: ⏳ Available time in the working day to feed or express 🚪 Private space to feed or express 🗣️ A manager who understands what a feeding schedule looks like 📚 Access to information and support from someone who knows about feeding Employers who get this wrong risk losing people at the moment they are deciding whether they are able to return to work after parental leave. The Vira Health Member Zone supports employees through pregnancy, postpartum and parenting in more than 100 countries and across 20 languages, with clinically reviewed education, live webinars and Care Advocates who help parents find the resources they need to support them while feeding or understand more about feeding at work. If you want to talk about what better postpartum support could look like for your workforce, contact Rhona Macdonald. WHO guidance is linked in the comments. #WorldBreastfeedingWeek #EmployeeBenefits #WorkplaceWellbeing #Postpartum