The Community Union has launched a new initiative calling for better workplace support and more open conversations around menstrual, fertility and reproductive health.
The Supporting Her Together campaign is encouraging employers to recognise reproductive health as a workplace equality issue and introduce practical policies that enable women to participate fully in working life.
At the heart of the campaign is Community’s Women’s Reproductive Health Charter, which asks employers to make a clear commitment to supporting employees through menstruation, menopause, fertility treatment, pregnancy loss and other reproductive health experiences.
Turning reproductive health into a workplace conversation
Menstrual and reproductive health issues affect a substantial proportion of the workforce, yet targeted workplace support can still be difficult to find. Community’s campaign aims to change that.
Employers signing the Women’s Reproductive Health Charter commit to introducing policies covering menstrual health, menopause, fertility treatment, pregnancy loss and reproductive-related medical leave.
The Charter also calls for practical measures including free period products for employees, reproductive health training and flexible working arrangements.
These measures can make a meaningful difference. They also send a wider message: reproductive health should not be something employees feel they have to hide or manage alone while at work.
What women are experiencing at work
To better understand women’s experiences, Community surveyed more than 1,200 people – and the findings highlight significant gaps between the realities of reproductive health and the support available in workplaces.
Some 84% of women surveyed said they believe their workplace should have a menstruation-friendly policy.
Almost seven in ten respondents (69%) said they had experienced severe pain and discomfort at work because of menstrual health issues, while 65% said these issues had affected their ability to perform their job to the best of their ability.
Absence was another significant issue. Some 39% of respondents said they had taken time off work during the previous two years because of menstrual health issues. Yet many did not feel comfortable explaining why.
Of those who had taken time off, 65% did not tell their employer the reason for their absence. A perceived lack of organisational support and embarrassment were among the most common reasons.
Women want practical support
The survey also provides a clear indication of the changes women would like to see.
Almost two-thirds (64%) said they would like recognised absence for menstrual health, while 47% wanted wider access to free period products.
The need for something as simple as access to period products was particularly apparent: 45% of respondents said they had been caught out at work without any period products available.
Perhaps most strikingly, just 6% of respondents said their workplace had a menstruation-friendly policy. More than half – 57% – were unsure whether such a policy existed, while 37% said their workplace did not have one.
Community’s Head of Equalities, Jennifer Dean, said many women continue to experience reproductive health issues that affect their wellbeing, confidence and working lives: “Too often women feel they have to manage them in silence or without the understanding and support they need at work.”
She said signing the Charter represents an acknowledgement from employers that reproductive health is “an equality issue, not a personal burden for women to carry alone.”
You can find out more about the Supporting Her Together campaign and the Women’s Reproductive Health Charter here.
