Following Curiosity: From Leadership to Menopause Research

At WiBF, we are proud to share the voices and experiences of our members and community – stories that inspire curiosity, growth and meaningful change across the banking and finance industry.

In this reflection, Jo Scrase shares her personal and professional journey shaped by a commitment to lifelong learning, leadership and wellbeing in the workplace. From building a diverse global career across industries to undertaking a Masters in Workplace Health & Wellbeing, Jo’s story highlights the power of staying curious and embracing new challenges, even when they feel a little daunting.

As part of her current research, Jo is exploring an important and increasingly discussed topic: the workplace experiences of menopause transition for women working in banking and finance in Australia. Through her work, she hopes to deepen understanding of what helps women thrive during this stage of life, and what organisations can do to better support them.

We are pleased to support Jo in sharing her story and research with the WiBF community.

My life and work experience have taught me the importance of staying curious and incorporating learning new things into my life however I can. As the rate and depth of change in the world continues to increase, this feels even more important. In my career to date, I’ve been fortunate enough to work in a range of partnering, delivery, HR and leadership roles across numerous geographies and cultures in the telecommunications, professional services and most recently, banking and finance sectors. I love working for the benefit of a client or customer, and working for the success of businesses, leaders and individuals.

I have found it’s helpful to reflect from time to time on the experiences, skills or knowledge I need to build next, and then decide what action to take. Luckily, I’ve worked for some amazing leaders and mentors who’ve provided me with feedback and support as I’ve done this. I’ve found it absorbing and rewarding to tackle a fresh work opportunity, learn new skills or concepts, move into a different type of business, or even discover a new travel destination (and who doesn’t love that!?).

However, staying curious doesn’t have to mean taking big steps like changing roles. It’s been just as valuable to listen to a podcast or audiobook during my commute, stay up to date with world and business news, or join interesting discussions and webinars (like the fantastic ones WiBF runs!) when it worked for me. I have found making these steps helps me challenge myself to stay open and flexible in my thinking, integrate new ways of seeing and doing things, and, hopefully, evolve my professional practice and leadership along the way.

Learning something new is not always easy. Moving into unchartered territory can be uncomfortable and even a bit daunting at first. I once received a very kind congratulatory phone call from a senior female leader after I’d secured a bigger, more challenging leadership role. I shared with her that I was feeling excited but also pretty apprehensive – to which she replied, “Oh, we all feel like that!”. It was such an honest response, but also a comforting and inspiring thing to hear at that time. It made me think, “Well, if she feels like that about new challenges, maybe I can do this!”.

Underpinning all this, my personal experience and professional life have strengthened my belief that an organisation and culture is only as strong as its people are healthy and well. Any actions or risks it takes, and decisions it makes, flow from this. This belief has led me to commence a part-time Masters in Workplace Health & Wellbeing, which I am working to complete this year. I hope the new knowledge and skills I’ve gained in my recent study will help me shape up the next chapter of my career and keep learning…even if it’s still sometimes a bit daunting!

The final element of my study requires me to complete an original research project on an important workplace health and wellbeing issue. I have chosen to focus my research on understanding the workplace experiences of menopause transition (perimenopause, menopause, postmenopause) of women working in Banking and Finance in Australia – a sector which is so critical to our nation. I became interested in what was happening for women undergoing menopause at work as I was working through that transition myself and observing colleagues and friends around me doing the same. In recent years, what was once a little-discussed and researched subject has started to be spoken about and examined a lot more. However, we still don’t know a lot about menopause transition in the workplace in our sector today – what helps us thrive, and what can get in the way of thriving – and I am curious to learn more.

Finally, I’m very grateful to have the kind support of WiBF in making my anonymous, confidential, and entirely optional online survey available to those members who would like to share their experiences of this transition. This survey will form the foundation of my research study, and if you’d like to participate, you can find out more here.