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NATIONAL INCLUSION WEEK AND THE MIDLIFE CAREER SHIFT
Why inclusion matters when your career, confidence and priorities are changing
NATIONAL INCLUSION WEEK: MORE THAN A WEEK OF GOOD INTENTIONS
National Inclusion Week is here, and this year's theme, Build Trust. Navigate Change., could hardly be more relevant to the world of work.
Because change is happening everywhere.
Organisations are restructuring. Technology is transforming jobs. Teams are becoming more multigenerational. Employees are asking for greater flexibility, better support and workplaces where they can be themselves without having to leave their personality at the reception desk.
And somewhere in the middle of all this are women navigating midlife career change.
Perhaps you are considering a new role. Maybe you want to change organisations, reduce your hours or find a career that fits the life you have now. Perhaps you are still in the same job but no longer feel like the person who started it.
So, what does National Inclusion Week have to do with your career?
Quite a lot, actually.
Inclusion is not simply about who gets hired. It is about whether people feel valued, respected, supported and able to contribute throughout their working lives.
That includes women going through change.
And if your workplace only works for you when you are endlessly available, permanently energetic and happy to put your own needs at the bottom of the pile, we might need to have a little chat. ☕
WHAT DOES NATIONAL INCLUSION WEEK ACTUALLY MEAN?
National Inclusion Week is an annual event founded by Inclusive Employers, designed to celebrate inclusion and encourage action to create more inclusive workplaces.
It is an opportunity for organisations to stop, reflect and ask some important questions:
Are we creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong?
Are we listening to the experiences of our employees?
Are we challenging assumptions about age, ability, gender and life stage?
Are our policies and practices helping people to thrive?
Are we making inclusion part of everyday working life, rather than something we dust off once a year?
The article National Inclusion Week: Creating a More Inclusive Workplace from Hands On At Work explores the importance of creating inclusive workplaces and the role organisations play in making people feel valued and supported.
That is the bit worth remembering.
Inclusion is not just a policy. It is how people experience work.
It is whether your manager listens when you say you need flexibility. Whether your experience is recognised. Whether you feel able to ask questions. Whether you are considered for development opportunities. Whether you can have a difficult day without being treated as though you have suddenly become surplus to requirements.
And, importantly, whether you are still included when your life changes.
THIS YEAR'S THEME: BUILD TRUST. NAVIGATE CHANGE.
The theme for National Inclusion Week 2026 is Build Trust. Navigate Change.
Trust matters enormously when people are navigating change.
If an organisation is restructuring, employees need to trust that communication will be honest. If someone asks for flexible working, they need to trust that the conversation will be treated fairly. If a woman is experiencing menopause symptoms, ADHD-related challenges or caring responsibilities, she needs to feel able to discuss support without fearing that her career prospects will quietly disappear into the filing cabinet.
Trust is built through action.
It is built when managers listen, when decisions are explained, when people are treated consistently and when organisations recognise that employees are human beings with lives outside their job descriptions.
The University of Sussex's discussion of this year's theme highlights the importance of listening, valuing different perspectives and recognising barriers that affect people's experiences at work.
That is a useful starting point for every workplace.
And it is especially important when we consider the midlife career shift.
WHY MIDlife CAREER CHANGE BELONGS IN THE INCLUSION CONVERSATION
There is a tendency to talk about inclusion as though it is only about recruitment.
Who gets the interview? Who gets the job? Who gets promoted? All important questions. But what about the woman who has been working for 25 years and suddenly finds that her priorities have changed?
What about the experienced professional who wants to move into a different role? What about the woman who needs greater flexibility because of menopause, caring responsibilities or simply because she has realised that work is not the whole of her life? What about someone returning after a career break? These women are part of the inclusion conversation too.
Midlife career change is not a niche issue. It is a normal part of a working life that can span several decades.
And yet many women feel they must justify wanting something different.
They worry they are too old to change direction. Too experienced for an entry-level role. Too expensive to hire. Too far along in their career to start again.
Let us put that nonsense in the recycling.
Your experience has value.
Your career does not have a use-by date.
And you are allowed to want work that fits the person you are now.
INCLUSION MEANS MAKING SPACE FOR DIFFERENT CAREER JOURNEYS
The Travel Hands article, National Inclusion Week 2025: 7 Powerful Ways You Can Build a More Inclusive World, offers practical ideas for building a more inclusive world, including the importance of awareness, listening and taking action.
Those principles apply beautifully to career development.
Because not everyone's career journey looks the same.
Some people progress upwards. Some move sideways. Some take a break. Some change industries. Some decide that their next career chapter needs fewer meetings and more meaning.
None of these choices automatically means someone lacks ambition. It means people have different priorities, experiences and needs. For women in midlife, inclusion can mean having career conversations that recognise the whole person.
Not just:
“Where do you see yourself in five years?”
But also:
“What would make work sustainable for you now?”
“What skills would you like to develop?”
“What support would help you thrive?”
“What does a successful career look like at this stage of your life?”
These questions open the door to more meaningful conversations.
And sometimes, they help people realise that the next step is not to leave their organisation at all. It may be to change their role, working arrangements or career direction within it.
YOUR EXPERIENCE IS NOT A LIABILITY
One of the most damaging assumptions about midlife professionals is that experience makes someone less adaptable. It does not.
Experience can bring judgement, resilience, perspective and the ability to spot a problem before it has finished putting its shoes on.
It can also bring transferable skills. If you have managed people, handled difficult conversations, delivered projects, navigated change or built relationships, those skills do not suddenly vanish because you have decided to change direction. They travel with you.
The challenge is learning how to recognise and communicate their value.
And if you are considering a career shift, here are three questions to start with:
What skills have I built that could be useful in a different role or industry?
What do I enjoy doing now, rather than what I enjoyed ten years ago?
What kind of workplace would allow me to do my best work?
You do not need to have the whole plan mapped out.
You just need to start asking better questions.
MULTIGENERATIONAL TEAMS: A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM EACH OTHER
Inclusion also means recognising the value of different generations at work.
The article Less Than a Quarter of Managers Feel Confident Leading Multigenerational Teams from Fair Play Talks highlights research showing that many organisations recognise the benefits of multigenerational teams, while managers may lack confidence in leading them.
That is an important point.
A workplace made up of different generations can offer a wealth of experience, perspectives and ideas.
But it requires managers to avoid assumptions.
I wrote about this back in 2023, in an article entitled “Strategies for Resolving Intergenerational Tension in a 4 Generational Workplace.” Which you might find helpful too.
Not every younger colleague wants to work remotely. Not every older colleague fears technology. Not every midlife woman wants to become a consultant with a laptop and a dog.
We are individuals, not stereotypes.
For women navigating midlife career change, this is a reminder that your experience is valuable. You do not need to compete with younger colleagues or pretend to be someone else to belong.
You can bring your own strengths to the table.
And perhaps learn a few new tricks while you are there. 🦊
WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ARE FEELING LEFT OUT?
If your workplace does not feel inclusive, it is worth taking a moment to understand why.
Is it the culture? Your manager? The working hours? A lack of development opportunities? The feeling that your career has stalled?
Try asking yourself:
When do I feel most included at work?
When do I feel least included?
What would make my working life more sustainable?
Is there a conversation I need to have?
Am I staying because I want to, or because I am frightened of change?
You do not need to answer everything today.
But you do need to be honest with yourself.
Sometimes the answer is a conversation with your manager. Sometimes it is a request for support or flexibility. Sometimes it is a new career direction.
And sometimes, it is recognising that the workplace is not the right fit anymore. That is not failure. That is information.
EMPLOYERS: INCLUSION DOES NOT STOP AT RECRUITMENT
For employers, National Inclusion Week is a useful opportunity to look beyond recruitment and consider the whole employee experience.
Are women supported through career changes?
Are managers equipped to have meaningful conversations about flexibility, development and working preferences?
Are experienced professionals still being offered opportunities to learn and progress?
Are employees able to ask for support without worrying that their ambition will be questioned?
The answer should be yes.
Inclusion is not about lowering expectations. It is about creating the conditions where people can meet them.
And when people feel valued, supported and able to contribute, organisations benefit from the experience, skills and perspectives already within their workforce.
YOUR NEXT CHAPTER IS YOURS TO WRITE
National Inclusion Week reminds us that everyone deserves to feel included at work.
That includes women in midlife.
Whether you are improving your current career, changing organisations, exploring a new role or simply trying to work out what comes next, your experience matters.
You do not have to follow the traditional career path.
You do not have to start again.
And you certainly do not have to apologise for wanting a working life that fits who you are now.
At Pause And Empower, I support women navigating career change, confidence and the realities of midlife.
If you are ready to explore your options, I offer a free 30-minute Discovery Call to help you think through what comes next.
Your career is not over.
It may simply be ready for a new chapter. 🌱
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