Why businesses should offer period products for free

Workplace conversations about inclusivity and employee wellbeing have come a long way. However, menstrual health still often gets overlooked. Despite the fact it affects half the population, too many businesses treat period products like a luxury. This is where Aunt Flow is flipping the narrative to try and make period products as standard as toilet paper.

This journey began in 2016 when founder and CEO Claire Coder had a lightbulb moment in an event bathroom. She was only 18 years old and stuck without a pad or tampon. Her only option was an old-school coin-operated dispenser – and she didn’t have any cash on her.

“I thought, ‘wow, if toilet paper is offered at no cost, why aren’t period products?’” Coder said to SmartCompany.

We were sitting in a room at HubSpot’s Inbound – a huge conference in Boston with over 12,000 attendees. No doubt, many of them would face similar menstrual challenges through the course of the week.

Fortunately for them, every bathroom on site was stocked with Aunt Flow baskets of period products – free of charge.

Coder’s question six years ago turned into a business that now provides menstrual products in over 60,000 bathrooms and 2500 businesses, schools and venues.

But Coder isn’t complacent. While Aunt Flow can now be found in various locations across every state of the US, there are plenty more locations – and countries – to go.

“My vision for Aunt Flow is that no one ever has to worry about getting their period in public, and tampons and pads are just as ubiquitous as toilet paper, soap and paper towels,” Coder said.

And it’s a fair point. I am personally surprised and happy whenever I see period products offered for free, particularly in business settings. But the likes of toilet paper I don’t give a second thought to.

Free period products aren’t normalised, and they should be.

“We clearly have a long way to go, because folks are surprised and delighted [when it’s free].” Coder said.

Aunt Flow wants periods to be mainstream in the workplace

For far too long menstrual health has been a taboo topic in the workplace. Either period products are completely absent, or they’re hidden behind some outdated coin-operated paywall.

“In the early days of Aunt Flow, I had to explain to people why you should offer free period products,” Coder said.

Not only did companies not get it, but many assumed this meant that Aunt Flow would provide the products for free for them to distribute.

There was a distinct disconnect between categorising period products in the same way you would other basic bathroom amenities in the workplace.

“No, you have to pay for it – just like you purchase soap and paper towels. Then you offer it at no cost to your employees and guests,” Coder would have to explain.

Aunt flow is boosting productivity: One tampon at a time

Not having easy access to menstrual products sounds ridiculous when you actually think about it. This is particularly true when you look back at your own surprise-period experiences in professional settings.

I’d wager that most of us menstruating folks have been there – stuffing a pad or tampon up a sleeve as you make a mad dash for the bathroom, or being asked where you’re going because you’re taking your handbag with you from your desk.

Or in more dire circumstances, having to make do with single-ply toilet paper while waddling to the shops in the middle of work, hunched over in pain.

But let’s say a workplace is more concerned about output rather than basic employee wellbeing.

There’s a pitch for that too.

Menstrual products aren’t just a nice-to-have, they’re also a productivity issue.

A US study from 2013 found 86% of women have started their period unexpectedly at work and 64% had to leave to get supplies.

A 2023 study in Australia also dug into the significant effect period symptoms, menopause, menstrual disorders and endometriosis have on paid work.

Think about all the time lost because employees have to leave work to buy period products.

“Getting people involved and making sure that they’re staying focused at the office? It’s kind of a no-brainer,” Coder said.

Coder also thinks it’s time to demand a better solution.

“We can ask for these basic necessities. We can share our voice,” Coder said.

Aunt Flow’s products have been introduced to large workplaces such as Google’s and Netflix’s US offices.

Unfortunately, there’s still some resistance, because some smaller businesses think it’s expensive. But Coder is quick to point the shift isn’t just for the big players.

“With Aunt Flow, it’s roughly two to five US dollars per female employee per year. It’s so accessible, but it’s not always prioritised,” Coder said.

“It’s a low-cost, high-impact initiative.”

Is the red tide changing in Australia?

Aunt Flow isn’t currently available in Australia, but Coder is looking to enter the market in the future.

In the meantime, we have seen the conversation around reproductive leave enter the mainstream here in Australia.

Queensland recently introduced reproductive health leave, giving public sector workers up to ten days off for issues like menstruation, IVF and menopause.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has also been lobbying federal politicians on 10 days of paid leave for workers to deal with their reproductive health.

This was off the back of disability service provider, Scope, being the first employer in Australia to provide 12 days of reproductive leave to its 7000 workers.

This is a big step and one that could take time to become a national leave standard. But there are small but meaningful things that businesses can do now to make a difference.

“For menstrual health, it’s pretty simple. Offer free period products in the bathrooms if you’re not doing that today,” Coder said.

“It’s the simplest step that you can do for your menstruating employees.”

The author travelled in Inbound in Boston as a guest of Hubspot.

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