Kingston the first local authority to commit to becoming a Bloody Good Employer
We are one of the first ten organisations in the UK to commit to working with charity Bloody Good Period to revolutionise how periods are talked about and support those who menstruate at work.
Bloody Good Period will offer a mix of self-evaluation, training workshops and re-evaluation - the latter being both a mark and celebration of a workplace’s progress, and the final step to qualifying as a Bloody Good Employer.
Councillor Alison Holt, Sponsor of the Women’s (+Allies) Network at Kingston Council, said:
“We are proud to support this amazing charity and are looking forward to working together to become one of the first Bloody Good Employers.
“At Kingston Council, we want our employees to be able to bring their whole selves to work and feel supported when they do it. Working with our Women's (+A) staff network we have already started having conversations with our staff around women’s health issues, as well as natural things like menstruation, which is rarely talked about in the workplace. In fact, an internal survey showed that most women would not feel comfortable talking to their manager about it, especially if the manager was male. Staff also said they would like to normalise the conversation around periods in the workplace.
“Now we are ready to go beyond just talking about periods and create huge, long-term positive changes to normalise this topic and support our staff in the right way.”
Joe Gray, Employers project lead at Bloody Good Period, says:
“Our data, and countless stories shared with us as we’ve developed Bloody Good Employers, have really underlined the need for change. Issues around stigma, non-disclosure and a general lack of knowledge about menstruation are common in UK workplaces, and have very real impacts on people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and therefore on their productivity and happiness at work. Addressing this can bring real benefits in terms of employee satisfaction, mental health benefits, happiness at work, productivity and loyalty.”
Bloody Good Period is a charity who fight for menstrual equity and the rights of all people who bleed, including those living in poverty who cannot afford period products, and work to eradicate shame and stigma around periods and menstruation. The Bloody Good Employers scheme aims to help employers:
- Recognise and evaluate their current support structures for people who menstruate
- Improve those support structures, raising awareness through training and shared understanding
- Show an active commitment to menstrual equity in the UK
- Actively raise awareness of this everyday issue for employers and employees alike