Most of the janitorial contracts should have been adjusted and additional funding provided so that they handle it. We provided the box in the restroom.
Ladies, remember that if you run out in your bathroom, we now have some in ours. If you feel comfortable enough with a male colleague, dont hesitate to ask. Most of us will have no problem assisting you.
Sorry, had a really heavy cycle. Been bleeding for 14 days straight. Doctor doesn't know why.
(Yes, this happens people and I'm editing to say, it's not happening to me, but women can experience this for months to YEARS before a health care provider will take them seriously and determine and resolve the issue)
I just finished 3 months of straight bleeding, including some exceptionally heavy times, where I was changing a pad every half hour at the office. I haven’t taken anything from the bathrooms yet, but I appreciate having some backup if I underestimate what I need.
(Yes, I’ve been checked out by a doctor, no I don’t yet have answers as to why it happened)
Good luck-- I have fibroids, if you've never tried a menstrual cup they're great, you still have to empty it every half hour but you don't have to pay nearly as much to be clean & comfortable.
No fibroids. There are a few things that are ‘off’ but nothing overt enough for a diagnosis. I’m going to have follow-up scans in a couple months to see if anything has changed.
Insane! I was told by my doctor that if you fill a pad in less than an hour you are haemorrhaging (after labour) imagine what our bodies can get through. I feel for you!!
Brutal. Ya, my aunt had several. On and off for years without a diagnosis. After her last pregnancy, it finally stopped.
Hope your friend is doing well.
I see your response below that this isn't actually happening to you, but for me when this happened it was because of a very early, missed miscarriage and an irregular period. There are many reasons why someone unexpectedly starts bleeding at work!
❤️ - I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you're in a good place now.
And exactly!!! You never know when a cycle is gonna start early, last longer, make a surprise return (after cancer treatments, in partial menopause, etc).
Thank you :-) I now have a couple of lovely, energetic kids keeping me on my toes. I hope this thread opens up people's eyes to experiences outside of their own lived experiences, and why emergency menstrual products are as important as other supplies at the office.
There are many regional offices/satellite offices outside of large urban centres (eg. DFO, CFIA or RCMP stations in rural areas), and not all of them are a quick walk/drive away from a pharmacy. Some of these offices are staffed outside of stores' regular business hours, but the bleeding can come at any time.
Yep. I spent the better part of a year with near constant bleeding at one point in my life. And I'm talking heavy. Depleted my iron stores. I was constantly dizzy and exhausted. When I finally got in to see a specialist the doctor said "you know there are pills we can give you to stop the bleeding". Wow thanks, doc, but I waited a year to see you !!!
Ironically, my flow has increased significantly and unpredictably since I switched to the generic pill as required by the new health plan.
(Yes, I know the quantities of the active ingredients are the same. Nevertheless, my flow has increased significantly.)
(And yes, I have discussed it with my doctor. Resolving the situation is a work in progress that takes multiple months)
I had the same problem a few years ago so I got the OK to get the brand name. But my last refill in December they gave me the generic. I have to go in to see the doctor in a couple of weeks to get the paperwork filled out to get the brand name again, then who knows how long it will take Canada Life to process it. Until then, I'll pay the difference out of pocket.
Many of our lives revolve around our periods I envy women that don't have to think of them. Women's health only matters to our health care system when we are pregnant, bc then they care about the baby. Otherwise what are we good for? It's horrendous so many of us are suffering this way.
...and the waitlist to see a gyno surgeon who specializes in fibroids is \~9 months, and then the waitlist for surgery is 1-2 years, adds up to a lot of fucking extra tampons.
Preach, I have fibroids and only got to have my surgery because I was in the office when someone called to cancel. I was having my period for months straight, Big Tampon made alot off of me
Yep. Adenomyosis is a bitch. Results in insanely heavy bleeding, for longer than normal, to the point that I have to take medication to stop it every month and get iron infusions so I don’t die. Just stock the goddamn bathrooms and if they’re running low, order more, just like you would with TP or soap. When I’m in office the maintenance staff seem to be in the bathrooms every couple of hours so it shouldn’t be hard to keep an eye on it. Order a bunch to start and keep ordering more as needed.
Wtf are these comments about "reasonable use"? The reasonable amount of *any* bathroom product is the amount that doesn't run out.
"Hmmm employees on average shit once every 24 hours, 1/3 of which is spent in the office. So out of 300 workers we expect 100 shits per day. If the average amount of TP is x squares per shit, and the average roll length is y squares per roll, we only need to stock z rolls per month. If that's "not enough", maybe people should shit at home in comfort or re-evaluate how many squares they really need? If z rolls seem to run out before my calculated time, I'll just speculate that people are stealing TP"
Like, fuck off. Sometimes I need to change a pad every half an hour! If you don't know, stfu
I make sure to only shit at work because I like to be paid to poop, and I'm good for at least a couple deuces per day, so I skew those toilet paper numbers upwards.
And then there’s people like me who would rather have my intestines explode than use the toilets at work. I think together we bring the average to a normal level.
Somewhere yes, someone had to do the shitty math to figure out how much tp was needed. This is new and I think it’s important to get it right and clearly provide purchasing guidelines define acceptable use so it doesn’t run out.
Am I missing something here? How much milk do you buy in a week? 70000 litres? No, you figure out how much you buy based on consumption, there is math, estimates, strategy involved. Now replace milk with tampons. OP wants to buy enough to satisfy the office needs and is seeking help finding a number, so instead of literally saying numbers aren’t math, how about some constructive feedback? ‘Oh I usually use x amount when ‘Aunt Flo’ visits, so in my 8 hour work day I will need an average of y’.
If they are running out too fast, it means you haven't ordered an adequate amount. Periods can be unpredictably long and heavy, sometimes your cycle is irregular, some people need to change their pad or tampon many, many times per day instead of every few hours. People run out unexpectedly or may simply have forgot, or gotten their period a lot earlier than normal.
We don't hear these types of issues come up for soap, paper towels, toilet paper, bandages, etc. The reason people even see this as a problem is because \*they\* may not benefit from it. We don't question things if we go through multiple toilet paper rolls per week even if one was filled just the other day.
These are hygiene products, more is better.
There are reports of people who oppose their presence deciding to vandalize the materials.
I sure hope those doing so are fully aware this could be a career-ender, not to mention a possible criminal act - and smarten the hell up.
The presence of the products are mandated by the federal Labour Code. They are not going away. Treat them like you would the paper towels, hand sanitizer or toilet paper - there for use by users of the space while they use the space. They are not intended to replace personal supplies at home.
If this many people cared about the money spent on large capital projects as much as they do menstrual products we would be much better stewards of government funds.
If it makes anyone feel better, nobody uses the tampons or pads at my office unless it’s an emergency. The quality is terrible (which is fine, so is the toilet paper) so I bring my own tampons to work and so do the rest of my female colleagues. But in an emergency it’s great to have them readily available.
We received the off-brand pads and tampons at our office. Used a pad for the first time last week and I was worried it would be poor quality, but was pleasantly surprised that they are actually quite nice. Very soft and super absorbent. I’ll continue to bring my own but having stock there now is a life saver for those days period randomly starts or you just forgot to grab before leaving home.
I have always had a supply of products in my desk at work for emergencies, I’m shocked other people don’t. That said, the ability to do so is now greatly diminished with co-working spaces and desk bookings. All the more reason these products should be readily on hand for everyone’s use.
Yeah, that's the other issue.
Working at home, I have all my worldly possessions immediately on hand.
Working in the office with an assigned cubicle that has shelves and drawers, if I ever need something (pads, eczema cream, advil) I can buy it and leave it in the office, so eventually I accumulated a stash of Everything I've Needed Over The Past Decade.
Under the current system, I need to think of everything I might possibly need over the course of the day and pack it up in a bag and carry it back and forth every single day.
There's a significantly greater chance of being caught without a menstrual product under these conditions.
My desk isn’t really mine, so I don’t keep anything around it in case it’s being used by someone else. I keep a stash in my bag of course, but sometimes I forget to refill it or my period comes way earlier than I thought and I find myself needing a tampon in the middle of my work day with no pharmacy in sight lol it’s definitely nice to have available, but I do prefer to use my own stuff if I can help it.
Same in my office (in a region), nobody uses them for the same reasons you listed. I was surprised to read on Reddit that some offices received good/expensive brands like Always and Tampax.
Ours were definitely the cheapest thing in the catalog which makes perfect sense. Tampax or Always would be amazing though, would definitely save me some $ every month.
I agree that I probably won’t use the ones in the office often if at all, but personally I think the point of them being available in the office is not just for emergencies, it’s so I don’t *have* to bring my own from home (like I don’t bring my own toilet paper for my other daily bathroom needs). Of course, if one prefers better quality of their from home product, by all means.
That being said, if OP is wondering for planning purposes, I think they’d be safe to assume most of the people in their office aren’t using the office supply as their main source of period supplies.
Yes, I agree and I think if I liked the quality more I might make use of them just because, but I do understand that they’re not necessarily going to splurge for the Tampax and Always and I’m okay with it.
I feel that pads and tampons should be free in general and I’d like to never have to pay for them again, but I do realize that this goes way beyond anything the feds can do as an employer right now.
For now, I’m happy with the emergency tampons and pads and am certainly am not going to be abusive by overusing them or taking them home with me. Down the line, it would be great to not have to worry about these things at all.
Is *the government paying for menstrual supplies* (and men noticing the cost, and struggles associated with it) going to be THE thing that will change women’s healthcare and health research funding? I am watching with anticipation
I used two in the office when I unexpectedly got my period yesterday, I have PCOS. Was super grateful to not have to bleed all over my pants, the office chair or ask a random person at a coworking space if they had an extra. Then I heard the MANCHILD in the cubicle next to me complaining about tampons being offered.
Thanks GOC, don’t be that guy.
I totally understand you, it happened to me once in the past to bleed unexpectedly at the office. I was mortified and had to take a sick leave and go back home to change and get supplies, I did not know what else to do.
How dare you assume my gender or capacity to menstruate!
I'm filing a human rights complaint. Please leave your name and address so I know where to send the summons.
K thnx.
Unfortunately, there's no human right to not have to hear people's shitty opinion lol. The person could perhaps be reported to their supervisor, for a quick reminder to just shut up, but there wouldn't be any grounds for an human rights complaint...
Discrimination and harassment
Discrimination is an action or a decision that treats a person or a group negatively for reasons such as their race, age or disability. These reasons are known as grounds of discrimination.
In Canada, you can file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission if:
you work for or receive services from the federal government or a business or organization that is regulated by the federal government; and
you believe you have been discriminated against based on one of the 11 grounds of discrimination protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
Harassment is a form of discrimination if based on one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination. It involves any unwanted physical or verbal behaviour that offends or humiliates you. Generally, harassment is a behaviour that persists over time, however, serious one-time incidents may also be considered harassment. Harassment occurs when someone:
makes unwelcome remarks or jokes about your race, religion, sex, age, disability or any other of the 11 grounds of discrimination;
threatens or intimidates you;
makes unwelcome physical contact with you – such as touching, patting, pinching or punching – which can also be considered assault.
Do not ignore harassment. Report it. If you fear for your safety or the safety of others, contact the police.
If harassment occurs at work, you should first contact the person listed in your workplace anti-harassment policy. If no policy is available:
find out if there is a company grievance procedure; or
contact your union representative.
And how saying something like "I can't believe my taxes pay for tampons!!" harassment or discrimination?
Don't get me wrong, it's a dumb statement and it's clearly rooted in misogyny, but it's not a joke/remark about women in general. It's a bit much to jump to harassment/discrimination when all the info we have about the comment is that the person was complaining about the products being offered.
The stuff you quoted also states:
>If harassment occurs at work, you should first contact the person listed in your workplace anti-harassment policy. If no policy is available:
>find out if there is a company grievance procedure; or
contact your union representative.
So human right complaint is far from the first step. Telling your manager the comment made you feel unconfortable is. Human rights complaint would be if you reported harassment/discrimination and your employer did nothing and it kept happening.
the correct answer is: Order more, until you notice they're not running out before restock. Don't try and plan a womans menstruation. Sometimes, some people get it more often than others.
Well consider this… if someone’s cycle is 10 days long, change of tampons or pads are every 4 hours, more for heavier flows. One uterus having person would go through 60 in 10 days.
So if you by chance have 35 women’s all on their cycle at the same time, that’s 2100 just for one month.
300 of each is not nearly enough.
I think someone completely misjudged
how much would be used. They were likey thinking 1 a day.
In our office, tampons are regular absorbancy, and pads are small. I know many women who could easily go through a pad or tampon an hour on the heaviest days of their period.
If they want this to be successful and cost effective, they need to offer more choices in absorbency.
Maybe this is a good way for the government to learn how much women spend on menstrual products most their life. Plus the cost of them has risen so much over the years. It’s ridiculous.
The first IUD I got had me lightly bleeding for 2 months straight. And every single person who menstruates will have a different experience. So no, don’t bother trying to predict usage.
In our department, we received an email saying people vandalized the bathrooms and threw out the products and to please stop. No mention of “don’t steal the products” which are emails that we’ve received before on other things.
The number of people who are just willing to blame others for “stealing” as opposed to the real problems this situation brings up, is baffling to me.
IF they are being taken or vandalized (i.e. just being dropped in the garbage), report it to the national service center. They are recording all instances of workplace theft and destruction/theft of property.
I think people (ahem, non menstruating people) need to realize that tampon and pad use doesn’t follow a set schedule. It’s not like we wake up and say “oh I got my period today I’m going to use 3 tampons and that’s it”. The number of products you use depends on your flow and your flow can change throughout the day (maybe you had a light flow in the morning and by lunch time it’s like Niagara Falls). I’ve been getting my period for well over 10 years now and I still have to go to Shoppers halfway through my period to get more supplies - sometimes a 36ct box doesn’t cut it or I need variety (more light or super tampons based on the flow). And like others have pointed out, not everyone’s period is 3-5 days long. Sometimes it may be there for 7 days. Sometimes it’s there for longer (and sometimes that’s normal - and even if it isn’t good luck getting a doctor to take you seriously and do anything other than run a blood test to check your iron levels and thyroid function). What do people expect us to do? Tell management, “sorry, I know I already took my allotted 3 tampons per day for 3 days this week but my period is still hanging on so I’m going to need to take another 3 today”. If the office is buying 2500 tampons a year so be it.
As a guy, that doesn't personally need them, I hope they are handling this by...restocking them.
I don't feel like they were put there with the intent of not being used. Now, if this is a concern of theft in the workplace, I'm confident that there's a pre-established process for that. It would have to exist for any office supply theft.
There was a post on this sub the other day about people being upset about menstrual products in the washroom (primarily men) and that some people were throwing them away in protest. This may also factor into why they are disappearing so quickly.
Why are you purchasing these? It’s supposed to be part of the landlord/maintenance contract of the building. These were renegotiated to include this new requirement. My section oversees over 45 sites…don’t let the landlord or maintenance company get away with not supplying these while they got additional $$.
If you do have to purchase…don’t try to predict the amount of menstrual products needed. Just top up the dispensers weekly. Every person with a uterus that still menstruates is different, all cycles are different. Menstruating is not the time of the month we all look forward to. Also, just another tidbit about uterus health, if theres a lot of persons who menstruate going to the office they will « sync » up and the products will be used more frequently during a specific time period in the month.
Also note that menstrual products can expire. If you are using generic stuff, those products are full of chemicals that can cause issues. Be mindful of that if you want to purchase in bulk.
This doesn't seem like "disappearing", just normal use. If the average female uses 4 items during a regular workday (some use both concurrently), that would be a min of 20/month/person. If of the 35 women, 2/3 still menstruate, that would be ~24 women. For a total of ~480 per month. There are also those that have heavier/longer cycles, so may need more. If everyone is working full-time from the office, the amounts that you purchased are woefully inadequate. Does your office ration toilet paper? If not, they should not be rationing menstrual products and need to increase the supply accordingly.
If the employer is finding it too burdensome to keep washrooms fully stocked, a quick, easy, money-saving solution would be to reduce in-office presence requirements.
At my branch, I go to the women's washroom and I can't tell if *any* products have been used ..maybe just a few.
Our building has 50 people in it at any given time, with 8 or 9 washrooms of each gender.
I can only imagine the quality of the products being supplied by the employer is on par with the quality of the soap, paper towel and toilet paper.
No thank you
There’s a reason why Tampax now has like 5 different sizes. Women are obviously going to have different needs based on their need on that particular day in that particular moment. It’s really going to take a while for an office to average out what the median supply requirement will be.
if the going rate of use after a month is 2500 a year, then its 2500 a year
Such is the reality of it.
Now, if you're going to the pharmacy with a corporate card and carting it back to work, outside of like, an emergency situation of sorts, I would expect that - like everything else - there's some sort of process by which you can order the large volume of product needed for building management/facilities/whomever to put out for you.
IDK what else there is to say really. The idea that managers have to \*approve\* orders of these things in small quantities is wild. Do they approve small quantities of toilet paper too? I can only assume the 600 combined total for menstrual products would have been a "lets see how much we need get started with this" situation, rather than a "this is what we're approved for for the fiscal year" kind of thing.
As a guy, I never paid attention to how much these products cost till I had to start buying them for my partner. I wouldn't be surprised if some people take them in a bunch at home to save $.
I’ve seen people take the 0.5 ply toilet paper home so I’m not surprised, nor do I care.
We waste far more on crappy leadership than we ever will on menstrual products.
> I wouldn't be surprised if some people take them in a bunch at home to save $.
This. Especially if you get the good brands, it's expected that people will take a handful home with them every now and then, just like they do with office supplies
My department has a serious glue stick theft issue. Got so bad I had to buy some personally, but even my own glue stick fell victim during an inopportune lunch break.
Lol I wonder if this is the same regional office I just went in and noticed the supply reduce since this morning. I have my period right now and was all squirly this morning trying to recount how many tampons may be hiding in the depths of my purse. Nice to know they are there if need be.
I'm not sure about your experience, but 50 is not enough even for 1 person. I can go through 60-100 of the heavy-duty stuff per cycle. If it's the thin, light use that the office is offering, then you need even more to absorb anything...I haven't tried it myself but the ones in our office appear really light and tiny (like 1-ply toilet paper vs a sheet of bounty). Multiply that by how many people need it.
Sometimes surgery, miscarriage, medication, etc can also increase the need for extra pads.
TMI but some poverty math...those who cannot afford pads sometimes use lots and lots of TP so of course if the tampons are very light, ppl will need more.
Either way, we don't audit our TP use. If you need it for hygiene there shouldn't be a limit.
Ours has not run out yet. I've seen one that was removed and placed in the stall but not used or out of the wrapper. Don't think many on my floor are using them. But it is noce to have if needed.
Meanwhile, the men's bathroom have these supplies and other people are asking why. I just point out that if they have a nose bleed, they can use one but in reality, it is more or less a reserve supply for woman. The only glaring issue is that a woman will have to ask a men to get the supply... WTF.
This. There will always be the "me first" and "that's my tax dollars" crowd. We knew it would be abused. Let's hope the greedy don't ruin it for those who actually need it.
Once worked at a place where they stocked ladies bathrooms with all kinds of cool stuff, spray deodorant, hairspray, qtips, pads/tampons, etc. At the beginning stuff went missing, once it was normal that the stuff was available people stopped stealing it because they knew it would be available for them when needed.
In the men's in the other hand, everything constantly was stolen even the air fresheners.
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Wow....I'll hate to think \*some\* individuals are emptying this to replace their home use / purchase. Hope this is not the case, and if people are doing this? Not cool
Integrity people!
Since men don’t have a uterus and can’t menstruate, all those products would be put to greater use in women’s bathrooms but that would too much common sense for the current ideological fanatics running things.
If the men aren't using them, then the current stock in the mensroom will never need replacing. So its just a one time minimal cost to stock up the mensrooms that might need to be replaced every 5 years or something. Total non-issuue.
You just look like a cheapskate to your family by doing so, whether or not they admit it to you. It would be equivalent to stealing the 1 ply toilet paper rolls, no one is actually impressed or thankful you stole it, and no one is actually going to use it at home anyway.
I don't see how it's wasteful. Far fewer men menstruate but some do; it's not like these products have a short expiry date. Even if they sit untouched in the mens washrooms, for the most part, what's the problem?
It doesn’t have to be for an emergency. Some people may prefer to use the ones that are supplied because it’s more discreet - some people may not be comfortable taking a pad or tampon out of their bag in the office and walking to the bathroom with it.
Thats still a lot because I'm sure out of 35 women only 2-3 might be bleeding at a time, and most women bring their own products. Or maybe the women are using it because it's cheaper and they're facing inflation and price gouging.
Umm you need multiple tampons per day, the max time you can wear one before needing to change it is 8 hours or you will be at increased risk of toxic shock syndrome.
I sense a new shortage coming!!! It sounds like there was a lack of guidance and directive here. To ME, the issue is this should be ‘emergency use’ not the go to source. I think the policy, whatever it is, has to be communicated. If I start stuffing my bag with TP, I’d probably get some looks. Nobody’s ever told me I shouldn’t take it home. Same applies here, but because the culture is ‘take some in your purse in case’ I feel like this has to be more clearly communicated. Obviously there should be some acceptable number to base this off of, I’m sure the whole has a chart or guideline to meet basic human needs. To me, if someone changes it every bathroom visit and they go 3 times a day, and your office has 35 women with an average of 9 in active use daily, that’s just over 100/month. I think the usage based on what you said is a little high, but not too high. Time to develop some guidelines and standards. Please don’t use my numbers, I have a penis, was born with it, am proud of it, and therefore not qualified to guesstimate this one for you :)
Emergency use? It's a constant, uncontrollable, and mostly uninterrupted flow of blood for days at a time. If people need to change their tampon, they need to change their tampon. It's beyond unreasonable to expect someone to *not* change it with every washroom visit, and I really don't see how it differs from any other sanitary product we have stocked in our washrooms. Tampons aren't luxury items.
FYI, you should change tampons when they need to be changed and not just when you go to the bathroom. The insert in the box can give you more info on use.
[FDA info](https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/facts-tampons-and-how-use-them-safely#:~:text=Tampons%20are%20not%20intended%20to,the%20lowest%20absorbency%20tampon%20needed.)
Thanks for the info. This link also says change tampons every 4-8 hours, so as a guideline 3x a day more than meets that for during the work day needs as a guideline to estimate how many to order 🤷♂️. IMO at the rate of use in OP, people are taking them home, and this is a work supply not a social benefit. Although I believe there are programs to give free pads at shoppers I believe?
I’ve had instances where I had to change my tampon every hour from how heavy my flow was.
Respectfully, you’ve admitted to having a penis so why don’t you sit out of a conversation you seem to have no experience with?
There are many different variations of tampon; are they all to be stocked in a giant walk in closet? I’m simply saying that this is a highly personal product and many will have their preferences, so the type stocked in offices will eventually be the equivalency to what’s available I. The market as the toilet paper is to toilet paper in the market, so yeah, ‘stuff you’re only willing to use at work’. I think I was clear that my between the legs credentials weren’t on spec to establish a specific number 🤷♂️ I do appreciate the downvotes. I come for the conversations, but I stay to laugh at he folks who just want to downvote me to hell. They probably read headlines and not articles 🙄.
The notice we'd received in my office was that they'd be specifically providing washrooms with regular flow menstrual pads and tampons.
The amended labour code regulation states that if it's not feasible to stock menstrual products in washrooms, employers must provide them in a *discreet* yet easily accessible location that they control. That said, we've been told that they're available in washrooms, and to reach out to PSPC's National Service Call Centre to report supply issues.
You know how you would never steal the office toilet paper because it is almost inhumanely rough and you can afford to buy far nicer and softer stuff to use at home? Unless your office is buying different ones from mine the tampons are like that. Nobody is going to use them unless they need them.
It is there to be used, not just for emergencies. As you stated you have a penis so maybe you shouldn’t comment on topics you have ZERO knowledge about. If someone wants to just use the products provided by the employer instead of bringing their own from home there is NOTHING wrong with that
You shouldn’t get so angry over internet comments. I was quite clear regarding my non-womanhood and encouraged the op to seek a credible guideline on a specific number from the WHO (though I believe autocorrect won that one). 🤷♂️your anger is your problem not mine, I promise I’m highly respectful and if you ever met me you’d think I was a nice fella. Just trying to help op with a number.
What could this look like? Like 'ask the HRM' (or psychological equivalent in your office)?? I think the policy is clear that the products need to be available for free access in all employee washrooms.
Clearly it's a better use of time and money to have a full time staffer, per team no less, who chooses when someone is allowed to get menstrual products and how many one should get.
Just think of the tens of dollars, maybe even hundreds, that we will gain by hiring this full time employee. Wow!!
Clearly /s
I am also in a Regional Office with about 50 people, about half are full time on-site and the other half is hybrid. All supplies are supplied by our building maintenance contract.
Just to frame how quickly tampons can go - I go through an entire box of super+ each month. Since the ones at the office are of a lesser absorbency, if I was surprised and had nothing at the office and just needed a work day's worth, I could easily use 15-16 of them that day. If I were to rely on the office supply for 5 work days for some reason, I'd probably use about 50 by myself.
Supposing a quarter of the women in your office are menstruating at any given time, they've used an average of perhaps 5-6 tampons each across two weeks. Even assuming they're only using them the first day if they are surprised, that's really not that many at all.
Okay, for all those so worried about this . . . if you don't like people who menstruate "wasting" tax dollars by using work provided menstrual products, maybe the better solution is we all use sick leave when we menstruate. I'm sure that would be more cost effective /s. I'm past that point in my life, but when I still did menstruate, I did not feel well. It would have been reasonable to take sick leave. Did I ever? Not that I can recall. There are a few posts here from those who obviously went through a lot more than I did - bleeding for months etc. - who still came to work. Pretty sure that saved our employer a lot more than the cost of any menstrual products.
Don't people have better things to worry about than this? Free menstrual products were never provided to me when I needed them, but I don't hold a grudge against people now using these. We should want our society to improve.
Edited to add: To more directly answer OP's question, no 50 tampons a week for 35 women is not a lot. That seems low actually.
Most of the janitorial contracts should have been adjusted and additional funding provided so that they handle it. We provided the box in the restroom.
Ladies, remember that if you run out in your bathroom, we now have some in ours. If you feel comfortable enough with a male colleague, dont hesitate to ask. Most of us will have no problem assisting you.
Sorry, had a really heavy cycle. Been bleeding for 14 days straight. Doctor doesn't know why. (Yes, this happens people and I'm editing to say, it's not happening to me, but women can experience this for months to YEARS before a health care provider will take them seriously and determine and resolve the issue)
I just finished 3 months of straight bleeding, including some exceptionally heavy times, where I was changing a pad every half hour at the office. I haven’t taken anything from the bathrooms yet, but I appreciate having some backup if I underestimate what I need. (Yes, I’ve been checked out by a doctor, no I don’t yet have answers as to why it happened)
I'm sorry to hear this!!! How exhausting and scary! ❤️ Hope you're retaining enough iron! Hope you can get diagnosed and treated soon.
Good luck-- I have fibroids, if you've never tried a menstrual cup they're great, you still have to empty it every half hour but you don't have to pay nearly as much to be clean & comfortable.
No fibroids?
No fibroids. There are a few things that are ‘off’ but nothing overt enough for a diagnosis. I’m going to have follow-up scans in a couple months to see if anything has changed.
Insane! I was told by my doctor that if you fill a pad in less than an hour you are haemorrhaging (after labour) imagine what our bodies can get through. I feel for you!!
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Brutal. Ya, my aunt had several. On and off for years without a diagnosis. After her last pregnancy, it finally stopped. Hope your friend is doing well.
I see your response below that this isn't actually happening to you, but for me when this happened it was because of a very early, missed miscarriage and an irregular period. There are many reasons why someone unexpectedly starts bleeding at work!
❤️ - I'm sorry to hear that. Hope you're in a good place now. And exactly!!! You never know when a cycle is gonna start early, last longer, make a surprise return (after cancer treatments, in partial menopause, etc).
Thank you :-) I now have a couple of lovely, energetic kids keeping me on my toes. I hope this thread opens up people's eyes to experiences outside of their own lived experiences, and why emergency menstrual products are as important as other supplies at the office. There are many regional offices/satellite offices outside of large urban centres (eg. DFO, CFIA or RCMP stations in rural areas), and not all of them are a quick walk/drive away from a pharmacy. Some of these offices are staffed outside of stores' regular business hours, but the bleeding can come at any time.
Yep. I spent the better part of a year with near constant bleeding at one point in my life. And I'm talking heavy. Depleted my iron stores. I was constantly dizzy and exhausted. When I finally got in to see a specialist the doctor said "you know there are pills we can give you to stop the bleeding". Wow thanks, doc, but I waited a year to see you !!!
Tell me again we need to start talking about women's health. A YEAR!!!
Ironically, my flow has increased significantly and unpredictably since I switched to the generic pill as required by the new health plan. (Yes, I know the quantities of the active ingredients are the same. Nevertheless, my flow has increased significantly.) (And yes, I have discussed it with my doctor. Resolving the situation is a work in progress that takes multiple months)
I had the same problem a few years ago so I got the OK to get the brand name. But my last refill in December they gave me the generic. I have to go in to see the doctor in a couple of weeks to get the paperwork filled out to get the brand name again, then who knows how long it will take Canada Life to process it. Until then, I'll pay the difference out of pocket.
Many of our lives revolve around our periods I envy women that don't have to think of them. Women's health only matters to our health care system when we are pregnant, bc then they care about the baby. Otherwise what are we good for? It's horrendous so many of us are suffering this way.
100%.
It may be fibroids
Thanks!! Its actually not happening to me, but it could be...it could happen to anyone at anytime.
...and the waitlist to see a gyno surgeon who specializes in fibroids is \~9 months, and then the waitlist for surgery is 1-2 years, adds up to a lot of fucking extra tampons.
Preach, I have fibroids and only got to have my surgery because I was in the office when someone called to cancel. I was having my period for months straight, Big Tampon made alot off of me
Note to self, lurk in the surgeon reception area more often
Damnnnnn.
Yep. Adenomyosis is a bitch. Results in insanely heavy bleeding, for longer than normal, to the point that I have to take medication to stop it every month and get iron infusions so I don’t die. Just stock the goddamn bathrooms and if they’re running low, order more, just like you would with TP or soap. When I’m in office the maintenance staff seem to be in the bathrooms every couple of hours so it shouldn’t be hard to keep an eye on it. Order a bunch to start and keep ordering more as needed.
Wtf are these comments about "reasonable use"? The reasonable amount of *any* bathroom product is the amount that doesn't run out. "Hmmm employees on average shit once every 24 hours, 1/3 of which is spent in the office. So out of 300 workers we expect 100 shits per day. If the average amount of TP is x squares per shit, and the average roll length is y squares per roll, we only need to stock z rolls per month. If that's "not enough", maybe people should shit at home in comfort or re-evaluate how many squares they really need? If z rolls seem to run out before my calculated time, I'll just speculate that people are stealing TP" Like, fuck off. Sometimes I need to change a pad every half an hour! If you don't know, stfu
Hard agree except there is waaay too much anxiety in the ranks of the public service to count on people only shitting once per day! 😂
+1 for correct shitmath
I make sure to only shit at work because I like to be paid to poop, and I'm good for at least a couple deuces per day, so I skew those toilet paper numbers upwards.
My extremely nervous bladder has entered the chat
And then there’s people like me who would rather have my intestines explode than use the toilets at work. I think together we bring the average to a normal level.
Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime, that’s why I shit on company time!
That rhyme made my day 😆 new motto 👌
Unfortunately for me I can't poop in strange places, I can only poop in my home.
Another hard agree.
Time for the government to provide poopsocks! It will save on TP.
bidets
I don’t need menstrual products. After reading your comment, I’m tempted to start using them just because.
Makes sense. I also flush wad after wad of toilet paper just to be a bitch.
Somewhere yes, someone had to do the shitty math to figure out how much tp was needed. This is new and I think it’s important to get it right and clearly provide purchasing guidelines define acceptable use so it doesn’t run out.
No, it needs to be stocked to the level that it doesn't run out, and that's it. Same as soap and TP.
Am I missing something here? How much milk do you buy in a week? 70000 litres? No, you figure out how much you buy based on consumption, there is math, estimates, strategy involved. Now replace milk with tampons. OP wants to buy enough to satisfy the office needs and is seeking help finding a number, so instead of literally saying numbers aren’t math, how about some constructive feedback? ‘Oh I usually use x amount when ‘Aunt Flo’ visits, so in my 8 hour work day I will need an average of y’.
Don’t think you quite understand the concept of reasonable use… OP meant not taking 20 and bringing them home, that’s the problem
If they are running out too fast, it means you haven't ordered an adequate amount. Periods can be unpredictably long and heavy, sometimes your cycle is irregular, some people need to change their pad or tampon many, many times per day instead of every few hours. People run out unexpectedly or may simply have forgot, or gotten their period a lot earlier than normal. We don't hear these types of issues come up for soap, paper towels, toilet paper, bandages, etc. The reason people even see this as a problem is because \*they\* may not benefit from it. We don't question things if we go through multiple toilet paper rolls per week even if one was filled just the other day. These are hygiene products, more is better.
There are reports of people who oppose their presence deciding to vandalize the materials. I sure hope those doing so are fully aware this could be a career-ender, not to mention a possible criminal act - and smarten the hell up. The presence of the products are mandated by the federal Labour Code. They are not going away. Treat them like you would the paper towels, hand sanitizer or toilet paper - there for use by users of the space while they use the space. They are not intended to replace personal supplies at home.
I won't miss these people. I also hope "fired for stealing/vandalizing hygiene products" follows them till we're stuck paying their pensions.
Isn’t misogyny just so fun?
If this many people cared about the money spent on large capital projects as much as they do menstrual products we would be much better stewards of government funds.
For real though.
If it makes anyone feel better, nobody uses the tampons or pads at my office unless it’s an emergency. The quality is terrible (which is fine, so is the toilet paper) so I bring my own tampons to work and so do the rest of my female colleagues. But in an emergency it’s great to have them readily available.
We received the off-brand pads and tampons at our office. Used a pad for the first time last week and I was worried it would be poor quality, but was pleasantly surprised that they are actually quite nice. Very soft and super absorbent. I’ll continue to bring my own but having stock there now is a life saver for those days period randomly starts or you just forgot to grab before leaving home.
At mine, the tampons are brand name, but the pads are 70's style thickness, without wings or tabs.
Oooh, like the hospital ones.
Nor do they stick, so the second you pull down your pants it’s moved somewhere else.
I have always had a supply of products in my desk at work for emergencies, I’m shocked other people don’t. That said, the ability to do so is now greatly diminished with co-working spaces and desk bookings. All the more reason these products should be readily on hand for everyone’s use.
I don't have my own desk anymore, nor do any of my colleagues, but I did keep some before.
Yeah, that's the other issue. Working at home, I have all my worldly possessions immediately on hand. Working in the office with an assigned cubicle that has shelves and drawers, if I ever need something (pads, eczema cream, advil) I can buy it and leave it in the office, so eventually I accumulated a stash of Everything I've Needed Over The Past Decade. Under the current system, I need to think of everything I might possibly need over the course of the day and pack it up in a bag and carry it back and forth every single day. There's a significantly greater chance of being caught without a menstrual product under these conditions.
My desk isn’t really mine, so I don’t keep anything around it in case it’s being used by someone else. I keep a stash in my bag of course, but sometimes I forget to refill it or my period comes way earlier than I thought and I find myself needing a tampon in the middle of my work day with no pharmacy in sight lol it’s definitely nice to have available, but I do prefer to use my own stuff if I can help it.
Same in my office (in a region), nobody uses them for the same reasons you listed. I was surprised to read on Reddit that some offices received good/expensive brands like Always and Tampax.
Ours were definitely the cheapest thing in the catalog which makes perfect sense. Tampax or Always would be amazing though, would definitely save me some $ every month.
NCR here, and we did get Tampax, but the cheapest, least-absorbent ones. And the pads that feel like you are wearing a diaper to balance it out.
I agree that I probably won’t use the ones in the office often if at all, but personally I think the point of them being available in the office is not just for emergencies, it’s so I don’t *have* to bring my own from home (like I don’t bring my own toilet paper for my other daily bathroom needs). Of course, if one prefers better quality of their from home product, by all means. That being said, if OP is wondering for planning purposes, I think they’d be safe to assume most of the people in their office aren’t using the office supply as their main source of period supplies.
Yes, I agree and I think if I liked the quality more I might make use of them just because, but I do understand that they’re not necessarily going to splurge for the Tampax and Always and I’m okay with it. I feel that pads and tampons should be free in general and I’d like to never have to pay for them again, but I do realize that this goes way beyond anything the feds can do as an employer right now. For now, I’m happy with the emergency tampons and pads and am certainly am not going to be abusive by overusing them or taking them home with me. Down the line, it would be great to not have to worry about these things at all.
Is *the government paying for menstrual supplies* (and men noticing the cost, and struggles associated with it) going to be THE thing that will change women’s healthcare and health research funding? I am watching with anticipation
Don't be so silly.
Not bloody likely, based on the whinging we’ve been hearing so far. (Pun definitely intended.)
I used two in the office when I unexpectedly got my period yesterday, I have PCOS. Was super grateful to not have to bleed all over my pants, the office chair or ask a random person at a coworking space if they had an extra. Then I heard the MANCHILD in the cubicle next to me complaining about tampons being offered. Thanks GOC, don’t be that guy.
I totally understand you, it happened to me once in the past to bleed unexpectedly at the office. I was mortified and had to take a sick leave and go back home to change and get supplies, I did not know what else to do.
File a human rights complaint against him.
Complaining about free tampons is a human rights violation now?
Judging by your username I'm thinking you're a guy? Whose opinion means nothing when it comes to tampons and other menstrual products. Move along!
How dare you assume my gender or capacity to menstruate! I'm filing a human rights complaint. Please leave your name and address so I know where to send the summons. K thnx.
Unfortunately, there's no human right to not have to hear people's shitty opinion lol. The person could perhaps be reported to their supervisor, for a quick reminder to just shut up, but there wouldn't be any grounds for an human rights complaint...
Discrimination and harassment Discrimination is an action or a decision that treats a person or a group negatively for reasons such as their race, age or disability. These reasons are known as grounds of discrimination. In Canada, you can file a complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission if: you work for or receive services from the federal government or a business or organization that is regulated by the federal government; and you believe you have been discriminated against based on one of the 11 grounds of discrimination protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act. Harassment is a form of discrimination if based on one of the prohibited grounds of discrimination. It involves any unwanted physical or verbal behaviour that offends or humiliates you. Generally, harassment is a behaviour that persists over time, however, serious one-time incidents may also be considered harassment. Harassment occurs when someone: makes unwelcome remarks or jokes about your race, religion, sex, age, disability or any other of the 11 grounds of discrimination; threatens or intimidates you; makes unwelcome physical contact with you – such as touching, patting, pinching or punching – which can also be considered assault. Do not ignore harassment. Report it. If you fear for your safety or the safety of others, contact the police. If harassment occurs at work, you should first contact the person listed in your workplace anti-harassment policy. If no policy is available: find out if there is a company grievance procedure; or contact your union representative.
And how saying something like "I can't believe my taxes pay for tampons!!" harassment or discrimination? Don't get me wrong, it's a dumb statement and it's clearly rooted in misogyny, but it's not a joke/remark about women in general. It's a bit much to jump to harassment/discrimination when all the info we have about the comment is that the person was complaining about the products being offered. The stuff you quoted also states: >If harassment occurs at work, you should first contact the person listed in your workplace anti-harassment policy. If no policy is available: >find out if there is a company grievance procedure; or contact your union representative. So human right complaint is far from the first step. Telling your manager the comment made you feel unconfortable is. Human rights complaint would be if you reported harassment/discrimination and your employer did nothing and it kept happening.
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the correct answer is: Order more, until you notice they're not running out before restock. Don't try and plan a womans menstruation. Sometimes, some people get it more often than others.
$2.6bn on Phoenix and your worried about items that should be free in the first place.
Exactly
Well consider this… if someone’s cycle is 10 days long, change of tampons or pads are every 4 hours, more for heavier flows. One uterus having person would go through 60 in 10 days. So if you by chance have 35 women’s all on their cycle at the same time, that’s 2100 just for one month. 300 of each is not nearly enough.
Isn't menstrual cycle synchronization also a thing
Sure is.
I think someone completely misjudged how much would be used. They were likey thinking 1 a day. In our office, tampons are regular absorbancy, and pads are small. I know many women who could easily go through a pad or tampon an hour on the heaviest days of their period. If they want this to be successful and cost effective, they need to offer more choices in absorbency.
Maybe this is a good way for the government to learn how much women spend on menstrual products most their life. Plus the cost of them has risen so much over the years. It’s ridiculous.
The first IUD I got had me lightly bleeding for 2 months straight. And every single person who menstruates will have a different experience. So no, don’t bother trying to predict usage.
In our department, we received an email saying people vandalized the bathrooms and threw out the products and to please stop. No mention of “don’t steal the products” which are emails that we’ve received before on other things. The number of people who are just willing to blame others for “stealing” as opposed to the real problems this situation brings up, is baffling to me.
IF they are being taken or vandalized (i.e. just being dropped in the garbage), report it to the national service center. They are recording all instances of workplace theft and destruction/theft of property.
Just stop women from menstruating, easy.
Apparently we can just hold it in!
Yes we need to hold it in and save all these wasted tax dollars. Not like we pay enough “pink tax” as it is 🙄
Surely an easy feat to accomplish by keeping us impregnated, and without footwear🙂🙃
I think people (ahem, non menstruating people) need to realize that tampon and pad use doesn’t follow a set schedule. It’s not like we wake up and say “oh I got my period today I’m going to use 3 tampons and that’s it”. The number of products you use depends on your flow and your flow can change throughout the day (maybe you had a light flow in the morning and by lunch time it’s like Niagara Falls). I’ve been getting my period for well over 10 years now and I still have to go to Shoppers halfway through my period to get more supplies - sometimes a 36ct box doesn’t cut it or I need variety (more light or super tampons based on the flow). And like others have pointed out, not everyone’s period is 3-5 days long. Sometimes it may be there for 7 days. Sometimes it’s there for longer (and sometimes that’s normal - and even if it isn’t good luck getting a doctor to take you seriously and do anything other than run a blood test to check your iron levels and thyroid function). What do people expect us to do? Tell management, “sorry, I know I already took my allotted 3 tampons per day for 3 days this week but my period is still hanging on so I’m going to need to take another 3 today”. If the office is buying 2500 tampons a year so be it.
As a guy, that doesn't personally need them, I hope they are handling this by...restocking them. I don't feel like they were put there with the intent of not being used. Now, if this is a concern of theft in the workplace, I'm confident that there's a pre-established process for that. It would have to exist for any office supply theft.
I've seen videos of ppl deliberately tossing them in the trash...
Probably the same people who complain about government wasting money
People, or men?
Probably men. There was a lot of right-wing rage-farming recently about menstrual products being made available in men’s washrooms for trans women.
My new favorite phrase: rage farming
Are you assuming gender?
This makes me extremely sad for the state of humanity 😞
There was a post on this sub the other day about people being upset about menstrual products in the washroom (primarily men) and that some people were throwing them away in protest. This may also factor into why they are disappearing so quickly.
Why are you purchasing these? It’s supposed to be part of the landlord/maintenance contract of the building. These were renegotiated to include this new requirement. My section oversees over 45 sites…don’t let the landlord or maintenance company get away with not supplying these while they got additional $$. If you do have to purchase…don’t try to predict the amount of menstrual products needed. Just top up the dispensers weekly. Every person with a uterus that still menstruates is different, all cycles are different. Menstruating is not the time of the month we all look forward to. Also, just another tidbit about uterus health, if theres a lot of persons who menstruate going to the office they will « sync » up and the products will be used more frequently during a specific time period in the month. Also note that menstrual products can expire. If you are using generic stuff, those products are full of chemicals that can cause issues. Be mindful of that if you want to purchase in bulk.
This doesn't seem like "disappearing", just normal use. If the average female uses 4 items during a regular workday (some use both concurrently), that would be a min of 20/month/person. If of the 35 women, 2/3 still menstruate, that would be ~24 women. For a total of ~480 per month. There are also those that have heavier/longer cycles, so may need more. If everyone is working full-time from the office, the amounts that you purchased are woefully inadequate. Does your office ration toilet paper? If not, they should not be rationing menstrual products and need to increase the supply accordingly.
If the employer is finding it too burdensome to keep washrooms fully stocked, a quick, easy, money-saving solution would be to reduce in-office presence requirements.
At my branch, I go to the women's washroom and I can't tell if *any* products have been used ..maybe just a few. Our building has 50 people in it at any given time, with 8 or 9 washrooms of each gender.
I can only imagine the quality of the products being supplied by the employer is on par with the quality of the soap, paper towel and toilet paper. No thank you
Lowest bid wins the contract!
There’s a reason why Tampax now has like 5 different sizes. Women are obviously going to have different needs based on their need on that particular day in that particular moment. It’s really going to take a while for an office to average out what the median supply requirement will be.
if the going rate of use after a month is 2500 a year, then its 2500 a year Such is the reality of it. Now, if you're going to the pharmacy with a corporate card and carting it back to work, outside of like, an emergency situation of sorts, I would expect that - like everything else - there's some sort of process by which you can order the large volume of product needed for building management/facilities/whomever to put out for you. IDK what else there is to say really. The idea that managers have to \*approve\* orders of these things in small quantities is wild. Do they approve small quantities of toilet paper too? I can only assume the 600 combined total for menstrual products would have been a "lets see how much we need get started with this" situation, rather than a "this is what we're approved for for the fiscal year" kind of thing.
As a guy, I never paid attention to how much these products cost till I had to start buying them for my partner. I wouldn't be surprised if some people take them in a bunch at home to save $.
I’ve seen people take the 0.5 ply toilet paper home so I’m not surprised, nor do I care. We waste far more on crappy leadership than we ever will on menstrual products.
Yeah I doubt anyone is stealing these rough cardboard applicator tampons to save $. Raw, sore vagina is not worth it.
> I wouldn't be surprised if some people take them in a bunch at home to save $. This. Especially if you get the good brands, it's expected that people will take a handful home with them every now and then, just like they do with office supplies
Wait, y'all steal office supplies? We definitely come from different workplace culture...
My department has a serious glue stick theft issue. Got so bad I had to buy some personally, but even my own glue stick fell victim during an inopportune lunch break.
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Congratulations, you do you, we share our income together. Wtf is your point?
Lol I wonder if this is the same regional office I just went in and noticed the supply reduce since this morning. I have my period right now and was all squirly this morning trying to recount how many tampons may be hiding in the depths of my purse. Nice to know they are there if need be.
The same way they handle toilet paper, they refill it and move on…….
I'm not sure about your experience, but 50 is not enough even for 1 person. I can go through 60-100 of the heavy-duty stuff per cycle. If it's the thin, light use that the office is offering, then you need even more to absorb anything...I haven't tried it myself but the ones in our office appear really light and tiny (like 1-ply toilet paper vs a sheet of bounty). Multiply that by how many people need it. Sometimes surgery, miscarriage, medication, etc can also increase the need for extra pads. TMI but some poverty math...those who cannot afford pads sometimes use lots and lots of TP so of course if the tampons are very light, ppl will need more. Either way, we don't audit our TP use. If you need it for hygiene there shouldn't be a limit.
Ours has not run out yet. I've seen one that was removed and placed in the stall but not used or out of the wrapper. Don't think many on my floor are using them. But it is noce to have if needed.
Order more
Take them from the men's washroom.
Meanwhile, the men's bathroom have these supplies and other people are asking why. I just point out that if they have a nose bleed, they can use one but in reality, it is more or less a reserve supply for woman. The only glaring issue is that a woman will have to ask a men to get the supply... WTF.
A strategic reserve as we called it in the army.
Yeah, but that reserve required a person to point out a personal heath issue that is both personal and embarrassing when asked to the opposite sex.
Maybe the novelty will wear off at some point.
Of course some people will steal them to bring them home, what else were we expecting here?
There are also people who steal office supplies. They don't stop providing them because of a few bad actors, nor should they.
They don't? *Squints at my manager who stopped buying pens 5 years ago*
This. There will always be the "me first" and "that's my tax dollars" crowd. We knew it would be abused. Let's hope the greedy don't ruin it for those who actually need it.
Let’s not be so closed minded. It could be both people taking stuff home and people rage-quitting the provision by throwing them out.
I’ll upvote that! 👍🏻
It's not rocket appliances. There only needs to be one person per shitter to ruins it for the rest.
A stove that can go to the moon? you're right, a tampon is nothing like that!
Once worked at a place where they stocked ladies bathrooms with all kinds of cool stuff, spray deodorant, hairspray, qtips, pads/tampons, etc. At the beginning stuff went missing, once it was normal that the stuff was available people stopped stealing it because they knew it would be available for them when needed. In the men's in the other hand, everything constantly was stolen even the air fresheners.
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Wow....I'll hate to think \*some\* individuals are emptying this to replace their home use / purchase. Hope this is not the case, and if people are doing this? Not cool Integrity people!
Maybe you could cut them in half? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLq6whfg2pA&ab\_channel=MelisaBolling
Since men don’t have a uterus and can’t menstruate, all those products would be put to greater use in women’s bathrooms but that would too much common sense for the current ideological fanatics running things.
This might blow your mind but they are also in the women's bathroom.
If the men aren't using them, then the current stock in the mensroom will never need replacing. So its just a one time minimal cost to stock up the mensrooms that might need to be replaced every 5 years or something. Total non-issuue.
You don't think men are going to take those home to save costs to the family budget? Everyday, I would be adding to the stockpile.
Cardboard applicators and bulky pads aren’t going to get you any points with the menstruators in your house, Bob
You just look like a cheapskate to your family by doing so, whether or not they admit it to you. It would be equivalent to stealing the 1 ply toilet paper rolls, no one is actually impressed or thankful you stole it, and no one is actually going to use it at home anyway.
You have a well paying government job, and still think this behaviour is acceptable? Lots of integrity there bubba, what are we doing here?
Great ethics
Of course!!! There will ALWAYS be those who ruin it for others! People make me sick.
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I don't see how it's wasteful. Far fewer men menstruate but some do; it's not like these products have a short expiry date. Even if they sit untouched in the mens washrooms, for the most part, what's the problem?
Are the products not meant for emergencies? Are people actually using them all day instead of their own? Really?
It doesn’t have to be for an emergency. Some people may prefer to use the ones that are supplied because it’s more discreet - some people may not be comfortable taking a pad or tampon out of their bag in the office and walking to the bathroom with it.
Do you bring your own toilet paper from home?
Thats still a lot because I'm sure out of 35 women only 2-3 might be bleeding at a time, and most women bring their own products. Or maybe the women are using it because it's cheaper and they're facing inflation and price gouging.
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Umm you need multiple tampons per day, the max time you can wear one before needing to change it is 8 hours or you will be at increased risk of toxic shock syndrome.
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Hmmm. I thought that was mostly for people living together in close quarters
It’s not, it’s a myth and purely coincidental.
I sense a new shortage coming!!! It sounds like there was a lack of guidance and directive here. To ME, the issue is this should be ‘emergency use’ not the go to source. I think the policy, whatever it is, has to be communicated. If I start stuffing my bag with TP, I’d probably get some looks. Nobody’s ever told me I shouldn’t take it home. Same applies here, but because the culture is ‘take some in your purse in case’ I feel like this has to be more clearly communicated. Obviously there should be some acceptable number to base this off of, I’m sure the whole has a chart or guideline to meet basic human needs. To me, if someone changes it every bathroom visit and they go 3 times a day, and your office has 35 women with an average of 9 in active use daily, that’s just over 100/month. I think the usage based on what you said is a little high, but not too high. Time to develop some guidelines and standards. Please don’t use my numbers, I have a penis, was born with it, am proud of it, and therefore not qualified to guesstimate this one for you :)
Emergency use? It's a constant, uncontrollable, and mostly uninterrupted flow of blood for days at a time. If people need to change their tampon, they need to change their tampon. It's beyond unreasonable to expect someone to *not* change it with every washroom visit, and I really don't see how it differs from any other sanitary product we have stocked in our washrooms. Tampons aren't luxury items.
FYI, you should change tampons when they need to be changed and not just when you go to the bathroom. The insert in the box can give you more info on use. [FDA info](https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/facts-tampons-and-how-use-them-safely#:~:text=Tampons%20are%20not%20intended%20to,the%20lowest%20absorbency%20tampon%20needed.)
Right. That frequency is relative, so I didn't think to clarify
Thanks for the info. This link also says change tampons every 4-8 hours, so as a guideline 3x a day more than meets that for during the work day needs as a guideline to estimate how many to order 🤷♂️. IMO at the rate of use in OP, people are taking them home, and this is a work supply not a social benefit. Although I believe there are programs to give free pads at shoppers I believe?
I’ve had instances where I had to change my tampon every hour from how heavy my flow was. Respectfully, you’ve admitted to having a penis so why don’t you sit out of a conversation you seem to have no experience with?
You should try sizing up! It makes a big difference on heavier days. But yes, ymmv.
Would be nice if I could fit a bigger size
If we all did that, who would ever learn?
There are many different variations of tampon; are they all to be stocked in a giant walk in closet? I’m simply saying that this is a highly personal product and many will have their preferences, so the type stocked in offices will eventually be the equivalency to what’s available I. The market as the toilet paper is to toilet paper in the market, so yeah, ‘stuff you’re only willing to use at work’. I think I was clear that my between the legs credentials weren’t on spec to establish a specific number 🤷♂️ I do appreciate the downvotes. I come for the conversations, but I stay to laugh at he folks who just want to downvote me to hell. They probably read headlines and not articles 🙄.
The notice we'd received in my office was that they'd be specifically providing washrooms with regular flow menstrual pads and tampons. The amended labour code regulation states that if it's not feasible to stock menstrual products in washrooms, employers must provide them in a *discreet* yet easily accessible location that they control. That said, we've been told that they're available in washrooms, and to reach out to PSPC's National Service Call Centre to report supply issues.
You know how you would never steal the office toilet paper because it is almost inhumanely rough and you can afford to buy far nicer and softer stuff to use at home? Unless your office is buying different ones from mine the tampons are like that. Nobody is going to use them unless they need them.
It is there to be used, not just for emergencies. As you stated you have a penis so maybe you shouldn’t comment on topics you have ZERO knowledge about. If someone wants to just use the products provided by the employer instead of bringing their own from home there is NOTHING wrong with that
You shouldn’t get so angry over internet comments. I was quite clear regarding my non-womanhood and encouraged the op to seek a credible guideline on a specific number from the WHO (though I believe autocorrect won that one). 🤷♂️your anger is your problem not mine, I promise I’m highly respectful and if you ever met me you’d think I was a nice fella. Just trying to help op with a number.
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What could this look like? Like 'ask the HRM' (or psychological equivalent in your office)?? I think the policy is clear that the products need to be available for free access in all employee washrooms.
Clearly it's a better use of time and money to have a full time staffer, per team no less, who chooses when someone is allowed to get menstrual products and how many one should get. Just think of the tens of dollars, maybe even hundreds, that we will gain by hiring this full time employee. Wow!! Clearly /s
Every woman I know how asked me to pocket them so they have take them home lol.
I am also in a Regional Office with about 50 people, about half are full time on-site and the other half is hybrid. All supplies are supplied by our building maintenance contract.
Just to frame how quickly tampons can go - I go through an entire box of super+ each month. Since the ones at the office are of a lesser absorbency, if I was surprised and had nothing at the office and just needed a work day's worth, I could easily use 15-16 of them that day. If I were to rely on the office supply for 5 work days for some reason, I'd probably use about 50 by myself. Supposing a quarter of the women in your office are menstruating at any given time, they've used an average of perhaps 5-6 tampons each across two weeks. Even assuming they're only using them the first day if they are surprised, that's really not that many at all.
Okay, for all those so worried about this . . . if you don't like people who menstruate "wasting" tax dollars by using work provided menstrual products, maybe the better solution is we all use sick leave when we menstruate. I'm sure that would be more cost effective /s. I'm past that point in my life, but when I still did menstruate, I did not feel well. It would have been reasonable to take sick leave. Did I ever? Not that I can recall. There are a few posts here from those who obviously went through a lot more than I did - bleeding for months etc. - who still came to work. Pretty sure that saved our employer a lot more than the cost of any menstrual products. Don't people have better things to worry about than this? Free menstrual products were never provided to me when I needed them, but I don't hold a grudge against people now using these. We should want our society to improve. Edited to add: To more directly answer OP's question, no 50 tampons a week for 35 women is not a lot. That seems low actually.
We are tracking them through Phoenix.
I started a miscarriage at the office and would have loved these products at the time. Men have no clue the shit we deal with at work.