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Menstrual Health in the Workplace

Thursday 3 February 2022

Did you know that almost £6 billion per year and/or 9.3 days per employee could be lost as a result of menstrual health in the UK workplace?  

In 2019, Yoppie, an organisation that sells personalised, sustainable and natural period care products, conducted studies that found that women were losing up to 9.3 days annually as a result of their periods.

Interestingly, only 0.9 days were actually linked to time taken off work (absenteeism), as most employees were reluctant to take time off. This means that the majority of time lost related to individuals who were actually present at work with symptoms (presenteeism).

Studies carried out by Bloody Good Period have also shown that 89% have experienced anxiety or stress in the workplace due to their period, 25% believe that taking time off because of menstrual health issues has impacted their career progression and 4% never have access to toilets or breaks whilst at work.

Despite menstruation being a natural part of the life cycle from adolescence, there remains a stigma around menstrual health in the workplace with an alarming number of employees feeling unable to talk to their employers regarding their menstrual health, or to take time off when needed.

Whilst the Government is due to comment on the Women’s Health Strategy in Spring 2022 (which is to include menstrual health and gynaecological conditions) some organisations have already begun taking matters into their own hands by announcing their strategies to support menstrual health in the workplace.

For example, in early 2022 Wickes, a large home improvement retailer and garden centre with over 230 stores across the UK, announced the launch of their campaign aimed at removing the stigma and stress around menstruation at work. Wickes are proposing to provide complimentary sanitary products across all stores, distribution centres and office spaces to staff who require them or need one-off supplies. They are also proposing to educate staff on how they can be more “period positive”.

There are a number of advantages for employees, employers and society to breaking the stigma around menstrual health in the workplace. Not only will this help to attract and retain talented individuals, but a positive shift in culture around reproductive health as a whole may steer businesses towards greater success and engagement from its workforce.

Providing complimentary sanitary products in the workplace is a good start, however, there is still a lot of work to be done by employers to normalise the conversations around periods and to ensure that employees are supported within the workplace, to manage the impact of menstruation on them individually.

What next?

As part of our on-going reproductive health campaign, we will be exploring how employers can begin to break down the stigma around periods, what legal protections are currently in place and consider what measures could be implemented as part of this collective mission.

How we can help

If your organisation requires support and advice in relation to menstrual health in the workplace, whether this is to get started on implementing policies and procedures or a specific query, please get in touch with a member of our Employment Team who will be able to assist.

This article contains a general overview of information only. It does not constitute, and should not be relied upon, as legal advice. You should consult a suitably qualified lawyer on any specific legal problem or matter.

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