How to create a menstrual-inclusive workplace

Have you ever become ill while at work? You may have had food poisoning or the flu. A painful stomach or exhaustion can make concentrating and working productively difficult.

Would you feel able to tell your manager that you were unwell and needed to go home?

Although employees would likely mention a stomach upset to their manager, many people who menstruate and feel unwell because of it each month are reluctant to discuss difficult periods.

This is particularly true in the workplace. Our recent research involving 247 students and workers who have periods confirmed this: just 6.7% said they would be truthful with their employer about why they needed to leave work or remain at home.

Furthermore, 87% of respondents - 96% of whom identified as women - said their period regularly disrupted their work or studies.

One respondent told us, "I would sometimes just say I wasn't well and needed to work from home to be near a bathroom. I would let people assume it was gastro."

Another said, "I do not feel comfortable giving this as a reason to miss work as it feels like an excuse despite living in chronic pain."

Menstruation plainly remains a taboo subject, and that taboo is clearly having consequences in the workplace.

Menstrual wellbeing policies and free period products

Encouragingly, initiatives intended to make workplaces more inclusive for people who menstruate are beginning to emerge.

Earlier this month, Victorian government employees experiencing menstrual pain, menopausal symptoms or IVF treatment were granted an additional five days of sick leave through their Enterprise Bargaining Agreement negotiations.

However, the Victorian Women's Trust was Australia's first company to lead the way by introducing a Menstrual and Menopause Wellbeing Policy".

Other organisations are also taking action, including the Aintree Group, Fisher and Paykel Healthcare, the Cura Day Hospitals Group and sports business Core Climbing.

Many schools offer free pads and tampons. These products are also available in Melbourne council facilities, at TAFE Queensland, and at universities including Griffith and Monash.

The number of employers involved could increase if campaigns such as the Electrical Trades Union's 'Nowhere to Go' and The Retail and Fast Food Workers Union's 'We're Bloody Essential' succeed. Both are lobbying for more businesses to take account of employees' menstrual needs.

Providing free period products appears to make a difference. Our research found that 84.6% of employees said this made them feel their workplace cared about them and made them less likely to leave work because of their period.

One respondent explained, "Periods can be hard. I once bled through my clothes at work and had to leave. It was so stressful and humiliating. Free period products could just change someone's day."

While this is positive, it also indicates that readily available products alone will not remove the taboo or create a menstrual-inclusive workplace. Further action is required.

How to create a menstrual-inclusive workplace

1) Acknowledge the effects of periods

Our study found that people who menstruate commonly experience physical symptoms before or during their period, including abdominal pain (94%), backache (82%) and headaches (82%). They also report emotional symptoms including anxiety, fatigue, depression and irritability.

One respondent said: "My cramps are so painful they make me feel physically sick - as though I will throw up. So I don't like being out of the house because I can't stand up straight."

Another stated: "My period increases my general level of anxiety in class, at work, and in all other situations. It can cause me to be acutely anxious during my classes and work, and I struggle to concentrate."

People on their period often conceal or mask their symptoms to avoid humiliation, shame and discrimination. When they do, employees say they are less engaged and less productive.

By showing empathy towards menstruators affected in many different ways, organisations can help and empower them to care for both their overall and menstrual wellbeing.

Inclusive leadership and open conversations about menstruation

2) Be an inclusive leader

Inclusive leaders view menstrual health as an issue of justice and human rights that matters collectively to both individuals and the organisation. They understand that people on their period need support, and speak with them about cultural and practical measures that can help them feel safe and manage their period with dignity at work.

This could involve supplying free period products, or giving menstruators flexible breaks and working hours while they have their periods. Inclusive leaders also recognise that some people may require paid menstrual leave.

3) Make menstruation discussions normal

Inclusive leadership extends beyond practical measures: it means building a period-positive environment that challenges stigma and discrimination.

Such leaders make conversations about menstruation routine and ensure people who menstruate feel listened to, supported and respected. They provide education and training that dismantle the menstrual taboo at work and replace it with a culture that values menstrual wellbeing.

Ultimately, equitable and inclusive workplaces require us to discuss menstruation openly and honestly, and to understand its impact on employees. Only then will workers feel able to speak about the support their health needs.

Ruth Knight, Researcher, Queensland University of Technology

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.