Create a period- and menopause-friendly workplace

As a business owner or manager, understanding the impacts of periods and menopause can help your staff feel more included and respected in your workplace.

Businesses who support the health needs of their staff may see improved:

• physical and mental health of staff
• participation in the workplace
• staff feelings of inclusion and dignity.

We know that:

• Over 90% of Australian women have experienced period pain.
• Nearly two-thirds of women have taken time off from work because of their period.
• Many people who experience periods and menopause prefer to give their manager another reason for feeling unwell.

HealthDirect is the national government resource for health information. Learn more about:

• Period health
• Menopause health

Ways to create a period- and menopause-friendly workplace

Normalise periods

• Make sure your team knows periods and menopause can affect individuals at work.
• Train your managers to be confident to have sensitive discussions with their staff.

Check work practices

• Check that your business’s approach to health and safety, wellbeing and staff absence recognise periods and menopause as a health issue.
• Make sure workplace policies and practices do not disadvantage staff with period and menopause problems.
• If possible, allow staff to work from home to help them manage their period- or menopause-related symptoms.

Be open

• Raise awareness of period-related issues at work and encourage conversations.
• Let staff know who they can speak to if their period, pre-menstrual or menopause symptoms affect their work in any way.

Ask your team members what they need

• Check how much your team knows about periods. Give educational materials to address any knowledge gaps.
• Your staff will know best what will help them. Ask how the workplace and workplace practices could improve things for them.

Be practical

• Have sanitary bins in place in all toilets.
• Give free period products, if you can.
• Let staff experiencing periods know they can take a break if they need to. Be mindful that people with heavy bleeding may need to go to the toilet to change their sanitary pads or tampons every hour.
• Carry out a workplace risk assessment to see if you can make any changes to help ease staff’s period- and menopause-related symptoms while they are at work.

How to have conversations about periods and menopause

Your staff do not have to discuss their periods or menopause in the workplace. But, creating an environment where staff know they are supported and can discuss openly may improve engagement. Open conversations can be useful, for example, to understand the need for flexible work arrangements.

Creating a safe space for a conversation about something as personal as periods or menopause can be easier when you:

• hold meetings in a private area where you won’t be interrupted
• reassure staff that all conversations are confidential
• reassure staff that you believe them when they explain how they are affected
• show staff that you take the impact of period and menopause seriously.

It’s important to be understanding if someone:

• doesn’t want to talk about their periods or menopause
• may feel more comfortable discussing their periods or menopause with someone else.

If staff do feel comfortable discussing their symptoms, you should:

• suggest that they speak to a General Practitioner (GP)
• consider referring them to employee assistance programs or counselling services if these are available.

You should not give medical advice.

Support to create period- and menopause-friendly workplaces

To find out more about supporting people in your organisation and the broader work underway to support women and people who menstruate in the ACT, contact the ACT Office for Women.

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