workers with periods

Table of Contents

Basically 0% of Fortune 500 Companies Support Their Menstruating Employees

Those of us working from home these days may view time spent at the office as a distant memory. It's easy to ignore that two-thirds of Americans are still commuting to work, taking on extra risk to serve the needs of everyone else.

Periods present yet another challenge for millions of these workers, and employers are doing startling little to help them out.

In break rooms across the country, you can find everyday items to help with employee health concerns. OSHA—the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—requires most businesses to have easily accessible first-aid kits. Many employers take this a step further to protect worker productivity, providing complimentary painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen.

Yet close to 0% of American businesses provide essential products that help address the leading cause of missed work for women: menstruation. 

Ibuprofen is a start, but what about the large percentage of people for whom generic painkillers don’t work or cause unhealthy side effects?

From healthy relief solutions to natural pads and tampons, there is a renaissance of menstrual products available today that directly enable happier, healthier periods. Yet few of us are assured these essentials in the workplace.

"When you think about how much effort and money goes into employee perks, free lunch, snacks, beverages, phones, etc., this just seems like a no-brainer. It's inexpensive and will keep people happy. Who wouldn't do that for their employees?" — Naama Bloom, founder at Hello Flo


When free period products were provided to workers at one Massachusetts-based startup, employees called it "life changing," adding that "people just love it."

Oh wait, my mistake. That business didn't provide critical period supplies that half their workforce needs to function—they installed a seltzer machine in the break room.

If employees go bananas for free water, imagine how they'd feel if their employers recognized that many of them regularly experience intense period pain, yet still show up to work every day and do their jobs. Working with period symptoms is like living life on difficult mode, yet few employers are willing to recognize this reality.

periods at work

Multi-billion dollars giants continually tout how much they care about their employees. Google provides complimentary gourmet meals. Amazon lets you bring your dog to work. Facebook even has a free on-site bike repair shop.

What do these giants offer their millions of menstruating employees? Free ibuprofen.

It's time to get serious. People with periods deserve better, and it's truly a win-win situation. One study involving 32,748 women found that employers lose 9 days of productivity per year per menstruating employee. One in ten women regularly skip work altogether.

No one wins with the status-quo. And we're not here just to talk about it.

We want every person with a period to have easy access to high-quality period solutions in the workplace. We want every workplace to step up to the plate and provide their menstruating employees with the support and respect they deserve, including essential solutions like Cramp Aid, Steady Mood, and Energy Flow.

At De Lune, we're serious about lifting the period burden. It's abundantly clear that access to high-quality period products on the job shouldn't be a luxury.

If you'd like to see complimentary De Lune products at your workplace, please reach out to us directly at info@delune.co. Let's get to work.

Table of Contents

Back to blog

Related Articles

Jennifer Jolorte Doro of Chiyo on eating for your hormones and the gut-hormone connection.
Jennifer Jolorte Doro of Chiyo on eating for your hormones and the gut-hormone connection.
We caught up with nutritionist, chef, doula and mother Jennifer Jolorte Doro. Jennifer helps parents support their ho...
Read More
Ayurvedic Ingredients for Happy Hormones with Gita Vellanki, founder of Neeshi
Ayurvedic Ingredients for Happy Hormones with Gita Vellanki, founder of Neeshi
It's our pleasure to be interviewing Gita Vellanki of Neeshi and spotlighting South Asian Heritage. Gita tell us abou...
Read More
Solutions to Hormonal Acne: Diet and Other Options
Solutions to Hormonal Acne: Diet and Other Options
When naming things we aren't a fan of, bad breakouts and PMS are top of the list. What if we told you that both are c...
Read More