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HR Magazine - Comment from HRs on Channel 4's new period policy

ended 23. March 2023

HR magazine is running a news piece on Channel 4’s new period policy. The key points are that employees will have access to flexible working arrangements, a working environment assessment, free period products in all offices, microwaveable wheat bags to ease painful symptoms, a quiet room to take time out if needed, medical support, including free hormone and fertility tests provided by women’s health company, Hertility, and an array of accessible support and advice.

 Could you answer the following questions as succinctly as possible:

How effective is this policy likely to be?

Why is it important to have a policy specifically for period-related symptoms?

Are policies like these meaningful? How can we be sure they aren’t “femwashing” rather than truly inclusive?


 

4 responses from the Newspage community

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Cheney Hamilton
CEO at The Find Your Flex Group
This is a great policy and I hope more employers will follow suit. We must normalise language and be open about the stresses and strains our bodies, as women, go through each month. The work place is open to both men and women, so it is right that our people policies are built to support both.
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Sarah Loates
Director at Loates HR Consultancy
Channel 4's period policy is a progressive policy from a forward-thinking employer. Seeing how this plays out in other large corporates will be one to watch. Interestingly, Channel 4 has not gone as far as the recent Spanish legislation providing up to 5 days' paid leave for those experiencing disabling periods. This is particularly relevant following the UK government's rejection to consult on making menopause a protected characteristic and piloting a workplace menopause leave policy in England.
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Karen Watkins
Founder at Rowan Consulting
In essence, as far as employee engagement goes it may be a good idea based on the profile of the Channel 4 employees, but it does leave me feeling that this just devalues the use of polices against the common sense approach. Do we really need a policy on how to handle basic human needs? It also encourages the whole segregation of HR policy work on what really should be a collective approach to diversity and inclusion.
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Kat Reid
This policy is a breath of fresh air given what we've seen from the UK Government recently around menopause legislation, and it's a step towards the progression we're seeing in our European counterparts like Spain. This is a necessary policy if you look at the stats- from the 150+ symptoms of PMS and PMDD identified by the NAPS through to the NHS's statistics from the WHC in November 2022 where a staggering 1 in 20 people speak with their doctor about debilitating menstruation cycles and symptoms every year. Effective policy work destigmatises an issue and supports both parties, taking anxiety away from manager and employee alike. Periods are a fact of life and it's important to note that it's not just women who menstruate. So long as trans-masc individuals are afforded the same privileges and comforts discretely under the policy as a cisgendered woman then it's entirely equal.