Menstruation affects roughly half the global workforce, yet most workplaces treat it as though it simply does not exist. There are no provisions, no conversations, and certainly no policies. The result? Employees push through pain, hide sanitary products like contraband, and call in sick with fabricated excuses because the real reason feels too risky to share.
A CIPD survey of over 2,000 women found that 69% of those experiencing menstrual symptoms reported a negative impact at work, yet only 12% said their organisation provides any form of menstrual health support. That gap between experience and support is where period-positive employers have the chance to step in.
Becoming a period-positive employer is not about grand gestures or expensive overhauls. It is about building a culture that acknowledges menstruation as a normal part of life and responds to it with practical, thoughtful action. Here are eight steps to get there.
1. Start With Education, Not Assumptions
Most managers and business owners have never received any training on menstrual cycle health. Many do not understand the difference between a challenging day and debilitating dysmenorrhea. Some still believe period pain is exaggerated. This lack of knowledge is the root of almost every workplace failure around menstruation.
Education needs to reach everyone, not just those who menstruate. Run awareness sessions for all staff, including leadership. Cover the basics of cycle phases, common symptoms like fatigue and cramps, and conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS that can make symptoms significantly worse. When the whole team understands what is happening biologically, empathy replaces awkwardness.
2. Break the Silence Around Menstruation
A survey published in HR Magazine revealed that 74% of menstruating employees felt it was necessary to hide sanitary products at work, and 57% who took sick leave due to period symptoms lied about the reason. This level of secrecy does not happen by accident. It is the product of a workplace culture that treats menstruation as something to be concealed.
Period-positive workplaces flip that script. Leaders who mention menstrual health in the same breath as mental health or ergonomic wellbeing send a clear signal: this is not a taboo topic here. Internal communications, wellbeing newsletters and team meetings can all include menstrual health without making it the centrepiece. Normalisation is about consistency, not spectacle.
3. Provide Free Period Products in All Bathrooms
Toilet paper and soap are workplace staples that nobody questions. Period products deserve the same status. Stocking tampons, pads and liners in every bathroom removes the stress of being caught unprepared and signals that the organisation takes menstrual needs seriously.
This is one of the most affordable steps on the list, and research consistently ranks it among the forms of support employees value most. A few dispensers and a modest monthly budget can shift the entire tone of how a workplace engages with menstruation.
4. Build Flexibility Into the Working Day
Not every menstruating person needs to stay home when symptoms flare, but many would benefit from some breathing room. Flexible working arrangements are one of the most requested and least provided forms of menstrual support. Options worth considering include:
- The ability to work from home on heavy flow days without needing to justify the reason
- Adjusted start and finish times during the menstrual phase
- Permission to take short, unscheduled breaks for symptom management
These are low-cost measures that also benefit employees dealing with migraines, chronic pain or other intermittent health challenges. The infrastructure for flexibility often already exists; it just needs to be extended with menstrual health in mind. Understanding how the phases of the menstrual cycle influence energy and focus can help both employers and employees plan more effectively.
5. Train Line Managers to Respond With Confidence
Even in organisations with good policies, progress stalls if managers do not know how to act on them. A large-scale Dutch study found that presenteeism linked to menstrual symptoms accounted for an average of 8.9 lost productive days per year per person, a figure far higher than absenteeism alone. Much of that presenteeism happens because employees do not feel safe flagging their symptoms to a manager who might dismiss them.
Line manager training should be practical and specific. It should cover:
- How to respond when someone discloses menstrual health difficulties (with empathy, not embarrassment)
- What adjustments are available and how to offer them proactively
- How to handle absence patterns without making assumptions or penalising employees
The goal is not to turn managers into health experts. It is to make them comfortable enough to have a straightforward conversation and take appropriate action.
6. Review Absence and Sickness Policies
Standard sickness policies rarely account for cyclical, recurring conditions. A person who takes one day off per month for severe cramps can quickly accumulate enough absences to trigger formal warnings, even though they are performing well for the other 29 days.
Period-positive employers audit their absence policies to ensure menstrual-related absences are recorded and managed separately from general sickness. This does not mean unlimited leave. It means recognising that a predictable, physiological process should not be treated the same way as an unexpected illness. Some organisations are now exploring whether menstrual leave could reshape workplace culture, though even without a formal leave policy, fairer absence tracking makes a real difference.
7. Create a Menstrual Health Policy (Even a Simple One)
A written policy does not need to be long or complicated. What matters is that it exists and that employees know about it. A basic menstrual health policy might include:
- A statement affirming the organisation’s commitment to supporting menstrual wellbeing
- Details on available adjustments (flexible hours, remote work, break allowances)
- Guidance on how to request support and who to speak with
- A commitment to confidentiality
Having something in writing moves menstrual health from an informal, inconsistent arrangement into something employees can actually rely on. It also protects managers by giving them a framework to follow, rather than leaving them to improvise.
8. Listen, Adapt and Keep Going
There is no single template for a period-positive workplace. What works for a corporate office will look different in a warehouse, a hospital or a school. The most important thing is to ask employees what they need and be willing to adjust as understanding grows.
Anonymous surveys, wellbeing check-ins and feedback from employee resource groups can all help shape a menstrual health approach that fits the organisation. It is also worth remembering that menstrual health intersects with broader reproductive health, from fertility awareness to perimenopause. A workplace that supports menstrual health well is usually one that handles other life-stage transitions more thoughtfully too.
Why This Matters Beyond Wellbeing
The business case for period-positive workplaces is robust. Research by AXA Health and the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that neglecting women’s health in the workplace costs the UK economy £20.2 billion per year. That figure accounts for lost productivity, absenteeism and talent leaving the workforce entirely.
Becoming period-positive is not about charity or being trendy. It is about recognising that workplaces designed without menstruation in mind were never truly designed for everyone. The eight steps above are not difficult or expensive. They require attention, willingness and a commitment to doing things better.
Organisations that optimise productivity around the menstrual cycle are not just being kind. They are being smart.
