Mitre 10 NZ join Libra project offering period products to staff

Kristy Gray from Mitre 10 Tauranga. 30 November, 2022. Photo / Mead Norton, Bay of Plenty Times

Classic Kiwi hardware company Mitre 10 has become the first business in the Bay of Plenty to take part in an international programme that helps fund and provide period care products to its employees.

And it is said to be already reaping the rewards of increased productivity and enhanced wellbeing.

The Libra Period Positivity Programme was implemented about six weeks ago in Mitre 10′s Mega Tauranga store and more recently in Mitre 10 Mega Rotorua and Mitre 10 Waihī.

The programme provides free period care for employees - or students and teachers - to make them feel valued and supported, while showing they care about their wellbeing.

Mitre 10 people and capability manager Kristy Gray said the programme created a talking point and “period positivity” in its workplaces.

“We installed this because it is such a great initiative for our team and we wanted to create an environment with less stress and worry around being caught out by having your period.”

Gray said there had been no objections to the programme by any of the team as “our workplace is very diverse and always has a positive approach to new incentives”.

The programme was something she would recommend to other workplaces “because the cost is very minimal and the staff morale and appreciation is increased”.

“The cost is less than a packet of chewing gum for each team member... the team feel valued and no longer need to stress about having their period at work,” Gray said.

Essity B2B executive general manager Jody Scaife said the Libra Period Positivity Programme started in 2020 when Libra won the tender for the Victorian government schools’ free period care initiative rollout in Australia.

Research showed there was still “so much shame and stigma around periods”, Scaife said.

Seventy-seven per cent of teenage girls would rather fail a subject than have their peers know they have their period, 69 per cent of women admit to hiding their period at home, work and school, and 54 per cent of people agree that it’s still taboo to talk openly about periods, she said.“Period poverty is also another issue which can lead people to using unsuitable products as an alternative, or needing to miss school or work as a result of not being able to afford period care.”

The programme not only offered free period products but helped created a positive period environment, Scaife said.

And it was working.

“We have been able to demonstrate to various schools and organisations by using actual case studies, where they are seeing the benefits since having the programme implemented, from diversity and inclusivity to a reduction in absenteeism,” Scaife said.

By signing up to the programme, an organisation invests some of its own money to pay for the products.

“Employers or schools could be meeting the period care needs of their staff, teachers and students from as little as a dollar per cycle participant, which is a small price to pay to build an inclusive, supportive and productive environment.”