87% of working women want their employers to be more supportive when it comes to women’s health1. Despite a growing demand for reproductive health inclusion at work only a minority of UK businesses have specific policies that address key reproductive health moments such as menopause (26%)2 and menstruation (12%)3.  

To address this issue, HeyFlow has launched a groundbreaking open-source suite of Reproductive Health Policy Guides to access information and best practices around reproductive health inclusion in the workplace.  

Sophie Creese, Co-Founder and CEO discusses why this is an important initiative: 

“Guidance on how to properly address reproductive health at work is often scattered across various sources or specific to a certain business, making it challenging for organisations to implement cohesive and inclusive practices and not knowing where to start. We wanted to create a source of information that is accessible so that businesses can develop informed and effective reproductive health policies.” 

To mark the launch of the series of policy guides, HeyFlow has released two guides on Menstruation & Menopause. The suite will be expanded to cover other reproductive health topics, but these were selected as the two key considerations for employers as they directly impact most women’s experience within the workplace.  

By 2030, 47% of all 50s are forecasted to be part of the UK labour workforce4, meaning that most employees who go through menopause will go through it at work and over half of menstruators have period pains that directly affect their work5. 

Nick Dean, COO and Co-Founder of HeyFlow highlights the importance of this initiative, but it shouldn’t be the endpoint for employers:  

“A large part of the lack of inclusion of reproductive health at work is due to societal taboos around the topics, and a lack of readily available information. You don’t know what you don’t know, so we’re so excited to launch these guides to give companies their first step into reproductive health inclusion. But a good policy is only the start. To embed effective change in a business you need to embed inclusion within your culture and bring everyone into the conversation; educating employees on available resources and supporting managers with training on how to implement policy properly.”   

HeyFlow’s initiative aims to standardise reproductive health policies across industries, ensuring fair and consistent support for all employees. By offering these guides, HeyFlow is leading the charge in promoting workplace wellness and setting a new benchmark for inclusivity. 

For more information about HeyFlow’s Reproductive Health Policy Guides and to access the Menstruation and Menopause guides, please visit  https://heyflow.co.uk/ or contact [email protected] .  

About HeyFlow: 

Ending disadvantage for women in the workplace. 

31% of women experience severe reproductive health symptoms every year. If not supported properly they can have a massive impact in the workplace and become a hidden burden leading to a lack of inclusion, increased absenteeism, and reduced retention. 

Through insight, learning and action for female* reproductive health inclusion in the workplace, HeyFlow empowers businesses to create change and build a truly inclusive company by breaking the taboo from menstruation to menopause. 

*We actually mean people with internal reproductive health organs, it’s just not as catchy. You can read our full inclusion statement here: https://heyflow.co.uk/inclusion-statement 

References: 

1. Simply Health, 2023  
2. British Safety Council, 2024  
3. CIPD, 2023 
4. Centre for Economics and Business Research, 2021 
5. YouGov, 2019 

About HeyFlow

HeyFlow supports businesses in understanding their female workforce better.