I launched our agency’s period policy a year ago – it wasn’t enough
Republic of Media’s Francesca Coia helped the agency launch a period policy. Some women were reluctant to use it; others thought the stigma was still present. But there was progress.
Last year I helped Republic of Media launch its Period Policy, allowing staff reasonable adjustments to their working schedule and environment should they suffer from any uncomfortable or painful symptoms due to their periods, such as backache, cramps, or heavy bleeding.
Spain’s controversial Menstrual Leave law divided many people on whether it drives equity for people who have periods or removes them from the workplace (therefore incurring a step back in the fight for equality.) This debate fed into an essential part of our policy around ending the stigma surrounding menstruation and increasing awareness of conditions such as endometriosis which can be crippling, requiring employees to take sick leave. Making a clear distinction between the sick leave that people are entitled to (regardless of their condition) and adjustments that can be made to allow people to work during their period was a necessary clarification for us.
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One year after our policy launch, I conducted an anonymous company-wide survey to assess perception, usage, and areas for improvement.
Was the policy needed? Absolutely. A substantial 92% of respondents said their period had at some point negatively impacted their work life while also causing stress and anxiety when it would coincide with planned work events.
While 50% said they are now more comfortable talking about their period, the survey also exposed a gap between the desire for reasonable adjustments and the willingness to request them, likely due to continued stigma. 46% of those surveyed would like reasonable adjustments to accommodate their menstrual cycle, while only 32% had asked for them.
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The anecdotal feedback was invaluable, providing insight into why some people still don’t feel comfortable utilizing the policy: ‘If I talk about the effects [of my period], these could affect how my performance is evaluated. I don’t think this will ever change’, ‘I am unsure if I would feel as comfortable being open about it if I requested adjustments from another manager. The effectiveness varies from team to team.’
Others felt the policy was inadequate – ‘all it does is tell us to feel comfortable and to talk to colleagues or line managers,’ ‘the subject is still stigmatized. It’s not discussed or understood enough by those who don’t go through it.’
The feedback from senior women in the agency was particularly impactful: ‘I would have loved this policy to have been in place a few years back when I was struggling big time. It’s great that future generations will hopefully not have to go through what I did.’
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Another colleague remarked that she wished people were as comfortable talking about menopause as they were about their periods, as she felt those going through the menopause were ‘suffering in silence in a company that encourages openness.’
All this feedback led to the understanding that the policy alone, while progressive, is simply not powerful enough of a tool for driving equity.
Training is required not only to help staff understand why the policy exists but also to end the stigma so that people feel more able to request adjustments. It’s also evident that those who don’t feel comfortable talking about their period are likely to become senior leaders who feel unable to discuss their menopause symptoms. This is especially important to consider when a survey by The Fawcett Society and Channel 4 found that 10% of women aged 45-55 had left their job because of symptoms of menopause.
As someone who took, on average, one day off school a month to deal with my painful periods, I feel enormously grateful to be able to make adjustments that allow me to work through them as an adult. I often felt embarrassed returning to school and would always make up a reason for being off – the shame and stigma attached to menstruation were significant at an early age. For most, this carries on into adulthood. A study published in the BMJ revealed that when people do call in sick because of period pain, only one in five tell their employer the real reason for their absence. The same study estimated that around nine days of productivity, a year were lost due to the presenteeism of workers who choose to work through their symptoms.
In writing this article, I hope that other companies take heed and put their own policies into place, as it’s clear that there is a long road ahead of us in creating equity for people who menstruate. If you don’t have a menopause or period policy within your business – ask for them to be implemented, with clarification given to you in writing if this is refused. My biggest tip would be that an anonymous survey can be a powerful resource for getting voices heard and driving change.
Find out how many people would benefit from policies in your business and take that forward as evidence that it’s needed. For anyone wanting to find out more, I’d highly recommend reading Bloody Good Employers’ research into menstruation in the workplace to understand why these policies are so important.