Corporate Trainings & Wellness Days
to support female hormonal
wellbeing in the Workplace
The Rise of SHE is a non profit community interest company (CIC), designed to help organisations develop comprehensive period and Hormonal-Menopause fertility support for their staff.
We offer tailored training and consultancy projects to help you develop effective policies and practices.
If you are an organization looking to support your employees' hormonal health, suitable for cis-women, non-binary, transgender and anyone wishing to explore their feminine side, then you've come to the right place. . .
Shockingly,
57% of people during menstruation who suffer have had to fabricate taking sick days off work.
If employees felt comfortable speaking honestly and openly about their experiences, employers would be better equipped to provide the necessary support in the workplace.
So why are periods still an issue?
Its 2023!! it is crucial that we foster an environment where discussing periods is comfortable and normalised.
Unfortunately, many individuals who menstruate still experience feelings of shame and embarrassment. Menstruation, a natural bodily function akin to hunger or thirst, remains a taboo subject.
Recent research conducted by DPG reveals that nearly half of individuals who experience periods (48%) perceive a noticeable stigma surrounding this issue within their workplace.
This stigma leads to silence and a lack of support, which can have detrimental effects on both wellbeing and productivity. Although not everyone will experience symptoms, providing support to those who do will enhance their overall work satisfaction and minimize any negative impact on attendance and performance.
The impact of period stigma is felt in various ways.
Firstly, it affects health and wellbeing. The lack of empathy and openness surrounding periods minimizes and dismisses the pain associated with menstruation.
Secondly, it is disheartening to note that one in ten individuals who menstruate have encountered derogatory comments about their periods while at work.
55%
* Of the women surveyed have had to take time off work due to their period.
Of this 55%....
- 15% took two days off
- 20% were absent for three days as a result.
Period and hormonal support in the workplace
* (In a recent one poll survey August 2022. 1000 woman not on birth control or HRT were surveyed.)
36% of women stated they find it uncomfortable to go to work and 30% responded that it makes working from home equally uncomfortable.
28% said they need to take a day off from work and 26% are unable to get out of bed.
27% disclosed to their manager the reason for their absence. This validates that the stigma still exists surrounding periods in the workplace in the UK.
The research highlights reasons why women did not tell their manager about their symptoms when requesting time off including:
47% said they felt it was a private matter
42% said they felt it wouldn’t be taken seriously
35% said they felt embarrassed/ashamed
22% said they felt they’d be judged poorly by their manager
12% said they are the only woman on their team and felt like it won’t be accepted
Studies have also shown that many women experience anxiety or stress in the workplace due to their menstrual health, and some even feel unable to talk to their employers about it.
Shockingly, research shows that on average, women lose nearly nine days of productivity every year due to period/ hormonal -related symptoms.
It's time to remove the stigma and stress around menstruation and hormonal shifts at work.
The Rise Of She can help you put a menstrual health and hormonal support policy in place, offering group trainings, 121 consultations, and HR policy advice.
Periods in the Workplace
To effectively support your staff, there are several practical actions you can take.
- Menstruation Policy: To promote wellbeing and productivity, to include reasonable adjustments, flexible working arrangements, awareness-raising activities, and the provision of facilities and products, educating all members of staff.
- Easy Access - Period Products: Just as access to toilet paper or soap is considered normal, it should be equally normal to provide free sanitary products and proper disposal bins in all restrooms. Ensuring that non-binary and trans men also have access to sanitary bins is crucial.
- Flexible Working: Consider offering flexible working arrangements such as working from home, to help alleviate the need for taking an entire day off work, to accommodate employees dealing with period pain.
- Inclusion Passport: Managers should have access to accurate and reliable information about menstrual health. Fostering an open and transparent culture and incorporating messaging about period support into workplace wellness communications is key. Tools like the Inclusion Passport can assist managers in having sensitive conversations with their staff.
- Rest Breaks: It is important to provide sufficient rest breaks for employees to take medication or have a short rest. Most individuals only require a relatively short break to manage their pain before returning to work.
The benefits of providing period support are numerous. By proactively assisting individuals in managing their wellbeing in the workplace, organizations can foster loyalty and support the creation of happy and productive teams. Prioritizing people's health and dignity is essential in ensuring that no one is disadvantaged in the workplace due to menstruation. It is time to break down the stigma surrounding periods and create an inclusive.
Research
(Source Water aid May 2023- 2000 UK woman were asked about Menstruation in the workplace.)
Women menstruate at work. Period. However, a new WaterAid survey reveals that menstrual taboos still dominate the lives of working women across the UK:
A staggering 85% saying they experience stress or anxiety when managing their periods at work.
• Over 2 in 5 (43%) fear leakage through clothes, followed closely by painful periods (42%) and heavy bleeding (40%).
• Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) attribute it to not being able to take time off to deal with any menstrual problems.
• 1 in 10 (10%) cite unsupportive management as a contributing factor to their stress.
Despite being a normal and vital part of most women’s lives, nearly two thirds of respondents (63%) admitted to feeling embarrassed talking about their periods at work with nearly half – 48% - hiding their period products en route to the toilet at work, and 46% saying they have avoided light-coloured work outfits when on their period.
Almost a third (31%) of working women have had to use makeshift materials such as toilet paper or fabric to manage their periods at work.
Only 3% believe employers are doing enough to support people who menstruate to manage their periods at work
While 80% feel that they are held back to some extent by attitudes to periods in their workplace. From those surveyed, the top three actions employers felt their employer should take to help them manage their periods are:
- Free period products
- Flexible working
- Additional breaks
Testimonials
“Any attempts to discuss menstrual health at work have resulted in a nearby man moaning about our discussion either being ‘gross’ or him feeling excluded"
- White, cis female, 30-39
“Some women think that because they don’t have painful periods that those of us who do are exaggerating. This doesn’t help. I am in agony and actually often pick up colds during my periods which also adds to sick days”
- Black British, cis female, 21-29
Menopause in the Workplace
Menopausal women are the fastest-growing demographic in the workforce, so it’s important now more than ever
to be able to speak openly about menopause at work.
Menopause can affect a woman’s working life. Sometimes menopausal symptoms or working conditions
can impact your ability to concentrate or carry out your role to the best of your ability.
In a survey of 1,000 adults in the UK, the British Menopause Society found that:
45% of women felt menopausal symptoms had a negative impact on their work
47% need to take a day off work due to menopause symptoms say they wouldn’t tell their employer the real reason
Many women have said that they often find managing their menopause symptoms in the workplace very challenging.
Coping with symptoms in the workplace can be hard, especially as many women find it difficult to
talk about menopause at work.
92% reported that these symptoms affected them at work, reporting they were less able to concentrate (72%), experienced increased stress (70%) and a loss of confidence (67%).
Period and cycle awareness education and support
Even though 51% of the British population are Woman, there's still huge stigma when talking about hormonal health such as Periods, fertility and menopause.
The Rise Of She is passionate about supporting women through all of the hormonal transitions in life - from menarche to menopause and beyond.
The Rise Of She offers a wide range of workshops, trainings, talks, and classes
to meet your unique needs of your team.
For Employees
- Short-term outcomes:
• More confident
• Better understanding of menstrual health
• Better mental & physical health
• Less anxiety and stress
• Feel more supported at work
- Medium- term outcomes:
• Better life work balance
• More control of working hours & practices
• Greater trust in employer
• Better working relations
• Higher morale
• More productive
- Long-term outcomes:
• Greater freedom & autonomy
• Long-term improved physical & mental health
• More stability
• Better career progression
For Employers
- Short-term outcomes:
• Happier workforce
• Improved HR systems
• Demonstrate practical & thought leadership
• Positive PR for that leadership For Society:
- Medium-term outcomes:
• Positive internal culture shift
• Reputational gains
• Increased retention of staff
• Lower recruitment costs
• Employees with greater trust
• Managers with greater empathy
• Higher productivity
- Long-term outcomes:
• Better performance
• Reduced gender pay gap
• More inclusive workplaces
Testimonials
“I don’t feel confident talking about this with my employer for fear that it would make me look flakey or weak. Colleagues who take regular sick leave are seen as unreliable and so I will tend to struggle on, regardless of how I feel. I tend to have migraines during my period and this often results in me losing my sight for a bit but there is a culture at work of ‘plough on’, no matter what.”
- Cis woman 38 years old
“I was once asked by a male colleague why I’d taken my bag into the toilet with me. I wanted to say ‘because I had to change my tampon (!!!) but didn’t want to embarrass him - which is ridiculous!”
- White, cis female, 21-29 – Why she needs to take a bag in the first place!
How to Book
Whether you're interested in staff training, workshops or hormonal health policies, then please feel free to get in touch for a FREE Discovery Call.
Let's work together to support people through all of life's transitions, and remove the stigma surrounding menstrual health once and for all in the workplace.
The Rise of SHE is a place of education, wisdom, transformation and respect.
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