A new survey, conducted by Essity, reveals that women who have access to free period care products in the workplace feel less anxious and more confident. Access to such products also ranked as the number one amenity workers wanted to see made available in the workplace — outranking coffee machines, wellness programs and gym memberships.

Rochelle Lake, head of marketing B2B at Essity Australia, said there was a worrying imbalance in the supply and demand of period care products. 

“For something that is ranked as the most important, it is one of the least provided things,” Lake said.

Of the 1,000 women polled:

• 87 percent have gotten their period unexpectedly at work,
• 76 percent have not had access to period care products at work, and
• 63 percent of women have been unable to work because of their period.

Research also revealed that:

• 81 percent of women who have access to free period care at work feel less anxious, and
• 83 percent of women feel more confident.

Workplaces that provide access to free period care position themselves better to develop a productive, inspired, and motivated workforce.

Lake said was proud to be involved in Essity’s campaign to combat period poverty via Australia’s inaugural large-scale government period care rollout in 2020. This campaign delivered practical bathroom dispensing solutions for more than 1,700 public schools in Victoria. She was also a panellist at the recent Women’s Agenda Health and Wellbeing Summit, where she shared insights on the need to prioritise menstrual health in workplace wellness discussions.

“I grew up not having access to period care products at school, so this is an amazing opportunity to change something for all women forever.”

Discussions around period care are an important step in eliminating period poverty. Periods are another example of a barrier that may be invisible to around half of the population. Lake said she hopes research, such as the Libra Workplace Impact Survey, will help instigate change.

“People ask for the return on investment and say they have to find a budget for it and get sign-off and approval,” said Lake. “That’s why we’ve done this research – to provide information about the value that it offers to workplaces.”

Again, education can be empowering. While Lake said the United States is slightly lagging behind Australasia regarding normalising menstrual hygiene discussions in the workplace,  senior management at Essity’s sister companies in the US are embracing opportunities to educate staff on menstrual health.

“The feedback from our business in the US is that the rollout is opening up different conversations,” she said. “I think people are appreciative of the knowledge and understanding, and that empowers them to want to make change or do something about it.”

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