The conversation around menstrual leave has grown louder in recent years, with Spain leading the way in Europe and several countries in Asia and Africa already offering some form of legislated time off. But for many organisations, introducing a standalone menstrual leave policy feels like a leap they are not yet ready to make. Some worry about reinforcing stigma. Others face logistical or budgetary constraints. And some simply have not had the internal conversation yet.
The good news is that menstrual leave is not the only path to supporting menstruating employees. In fact, some of the most meaningful changes are far simpler and far cheaper than a formal leave policy. A nationwide Dutch study of over 32,000 women found that presenteeism (being at work but unable to function fully) accounted for nearly nine lost productive days per year per person, a figure seven times higher than absenteeism. That means the biggest productivity drain is not people staying home; it is people showing up with no support in place.
Here are seven low-cost solutions that address the problem where it actually lives.
1. Stock Period Products in Every Bathroom
This is the simplest, most affordable change on the list, and it consistently ranks among the support measures employees value most. Providing free tampons, pads and liners in all bathrooms removes the anxiety of being caught unprepared and sends an unmistakable message that the organisation considers menstrual needs a basic part of workplace infrastructure.
Yet many workplaces have not taken even this step. A UK-based survey of 2,000 menstruating employees found that only 10% said their employer provides free period products, while 27% reported their workplace did not even have sanitary bins. These are not expensive fixes. A small monthly spend on products and proper disposal facilities can shift how supported employees feel on a daily basis.
2. Offer Informal Flexibility Around Tough Days
Menstrual leave gets the headlines, but what most menstruating employees actually want is flexibility. The same Dutch study found that nearly 68% of respondents wished for greater flexibility in their tasks and working hours during menstruation. Not an extra day off. Not a medical certificate. Just the ability to adjust how, when and where they work during the days their body is working hardest.
This might look like:
- The option to start later or finish earlier without a formal approval process
- Working from home on a heavier menstrual days or during debilitating menstruation
- Shifting a presentation or client meeting by 24 hours without needing to explain why
These adjustments cost nothing and fit within frameworks most organisations already use for other health-related needs. Employees who understand the connection between cycle phases and productivity are often better positioned to manage their own schedules when flexibility is genuinely available.
3. Make Break Access Genuinely Unrestricted
In theory, employees can take a break whenever they need one. In practice, rigid schedules, understaffed shifts and cultures of “powering through” make it difficult to step away for symptom management. For someone dealing with cramps, nausea, endometriosis or heavy bleeding, the inability to take a five-minute break can turn a manageable day into a miserable one.
Period-supportive workplaces treat break access as a health essential, not a perk. This is especially important in roles where employees cannot easily leave the floor: retail, manufacturing, healthcare and hospitality. Making it genuinely acceptable to step away, without side-eye from colleagues or pushback from supervisors, is a cultural shift that benefits everyone, not only those who menstruate.
4. Improve Bathroom Facilities
This goes beyond stocking products. Consider what the actual experience of managing menstruation in your workplace bathrooms looks like. Are there enough toilets? Is there privacy? Are bins accessible inside each cubicle rather than in a shared area? Is there a place to wash hands or clean up?
A few practical improvements that make a real difference:
- Individual bins inside every toilet cubical, not just by the sinks
- A small supply of spare clothing or dark-coloured cover-ups kept discreetly available
- Hot water bottles or heat packs accessible from a communal area for cramp relief
- Clean, well-maintained facilities checked regularly rather than once a day
These are not luxury additions. They are the basic conditions that allow menstruating people to manage their menstrual cycle at work without stress or embarrassment.
5. Educate the Whole Team, Not Just Those Who Bleed
One of the most persistent barriers to menstrual support in the workplace is ignorance. Not hostility, not policy gaps, but a genuine lack of understanding among managers, colleagues and leadership about what menstruation involves and how it can affect someone’s day. A CIPD report found that 49% of employees never tell their manager when an absence is period-related, and 45% said they feared the problem would be trivialised.
Menstrual literacy training should not be optional for business owners and managers. When the people making decisions about rosters, workloads and absence management do not understand the basics of the menstrual cycle and its phases, they cannot support their team members effectively. Short, practical training sessions covering cycle fundamentals, common symptoms and how to respond when someone discloses a menstrual health challenge can transform workplace culture without a single policy change.
This training should include everyone, not just those who menstruate. When all staff have a baseline understanding, conversations become easier, stigma decreases and the burden of education stops falling on the person in pain.
6. Separate Menstrual Absences From General Sickness Tracking
Standard absence policies tend to treat all sick days the same. But menstrual symptoms are cyclical and predictable in a way that a stomach bug or a cold is not. An employee who takes one day off every four to six weeks for severe cramps can quickly hit attendance triggers designed for entirely different patterns of illness, creating anxiety, performance warnings and resentment.
Tracking menstrual absences separately does not mean ignoring them. It means putting them in proper context. Organisations that do this often find that the “problem” was never the employee’s attendance; it was the system’s inability to account for a recurring physiological process. Even without a formal menstrual leave category, coding these absences differently in HR systems prevents unfair consequences and gives the organisation better data on where support is genuinely needed. It is worth noting that menstrual leave policies are being discussed in many countries, but absence tracking reform can happen right now, with no legislative wait.
7. Create a Feedback Loop and Keep Listening
No single solution works perfectly for every workplace. A corporate office with flexible hours and remote work options faces different challenges than a hospital, a warehouse or a school. The most effective approach is to ask employees what they need, pilot changes and refine.
Anonymous surveys, wellbeing check-ins and informal conversations can reveal gaps that leadership might never notice on their own. Some organisations have found that simply asking the question signals enough care to shift the culture before any formal change is even introduced. For those looking to deepen their understanding, becoming a certified period coach or bringing in external menstrual cycle education can provide a more structured foundation.
A Note Beyond the Workplace
Many of these principles apply well beyond office walls. Schools and universities face strikingly similar challenges: young menstruators dealing with pain and stigma, staff who lack the training to respond supportively, and rigid systems that penalise absence without considering its cause.
The Dutch study referenced above found that those under 21 were more than three times as likely to miss work or school due to menstrual symptoms compared to older age groups. Tweens and teens in high school settings are often even less equipped to advocate for themselves, and many teachers have had no education around the menstrual cycle at all. The solutions explored here, from product provision to flexible policies to staff training, translate directly. If workplaces are only now catching up, schools have even further to go.
The Bottom Line
Supporting menstruating employees does not require a revolutionary policy overhaul. It requires attention, empathy and a willingness to treat menstruation as what it is: a normal biological process that deserves the same practical consideration as any other health need. The seven solutions above are low-cost, low-disruption and high-impact. Most can be implemented within weeks, not months. And every one of them makes the workplace more inclusive, not just for menstruating employees, but for everyone who benefits from a culture that actually cares about the people within it.
