Decent Work Requires Essential Tools: Why the BWA Supports Menstrual Equity

Let’s face it: the old-school, stodgy corporate playbook says any new workplace requirement is an expensive headache. But as business owners, we know that cut-rate, bare-minimum workplaces actually cost us more in the long run. True profitability relies on decent work - giving our teams a stable environment and the tools they need to show up prepared and ready to work.

That is why the BWA supports MPP Alexa Gilmour’s petition to require Ontario employers to provide free menstrual products in workplace washrooms and declare May 28 Menstrual Health Day.

When a team lacks access to basic hygiene supplies, operations suffer. The data backs up what any manager can guess: surveys show 22% of workers who require these products have missed work entirely because they couldn’t access them when needed.

On top of that, research shows that handling these disruptions without workplace support drains about nine days of productivity per affected employee every year. It triggers what business owners call "presenteeism" - workers are physically clocked in, but their focus is broken by a stressful, easily solvable problem.

Forcing an employee to scramble mid-shift, hunt for a pharmacy, or clock out early is a management failure that causes scheduling bottlenecks and kills workplace momentum.

Think about it this way: no functional business expects workers to bring their own toilet paper or hand soap from home to save a few dollars on overhead. Doing that would destroy morale and efficiency instantly. Menstrual products are no different. They are basic washroom infrastructure.

And the math favours you as an employer. Cost analysis shows that stocking these supplies runs about $14.95 a year for each worker who uses them - less than $1.25 a month. In return, 70% of employees report an immediate boost in workplace concentration.

Federal workplaces made this standard law a few years back - it’s time for Ontario to follow suit so workers aren’t distracted and our businesses operate with greater productivity. Spending $15 a year to secure unbroken productivity and employee loyalty is just smart business.