How to Get Your Company to Provide Free Period Products at Work (A Guide for Employees)
- Unicorn
- Apr 22
- 5 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
You know your office should provide free period products. The restroom has toilet paper, soap, and paper towels, but somehow pads and tampons are still considered your personal responsibility. You want to say something, but you are not sure how to bring it up without it feeling awkward or getting brushed off.
This guide gives you everything you need to make the ask. The right framing, the data that gets budget approved, and email templates you can copy and send today. It's time to get free period products at work, just like toilet paper.
Why This Request Gets Ignored (and How to Fix That)
Most requests for free period products at work fail for one of three reasons.
First, the request sounds like a perk. If you frame it as "it would be nice to have tampons in the bathroom," it lands on the same list as kombucha on tap and nap pods. Easy to deprioritize.
Second, nobody owns it. HR thinks it is a facilities issue. Facilities thinks it is an HR issue. The request bounces between departments and dies quietly.
Third, the person making the request does not have the cost data. Decision-makers need numbers. Without them, the request stays in "we should look into that" territory forever.
The fix is simple. Frame it as infrastructure, not a perk. Route it to the right person. Include the numbers.
The Framing That Works
Do not ask your company to "provide feminine hygiene products" or "support menstrual equity." Those phrases are accurate but they trigger a longer conversation about policy, DEI budgets, and committee approvals.
Instead, use this framing: "Our restrooms stock toilet paper, soap, and paper towels. We should also stock pads and tampons. It is a basic restroom supply, not a program."
This works because it reframes the request from something new and special to something that should have been there all along. Nobody had to pitch toilet paper to leadership. It just showed up in the restroom because it is a basic supply. Period products belong in the same category.
Who to Send It To
This depends on your company size.
At a small company (under 50 people), go directly to whoever manages the office. That is usually an office manager or operations lead.
At a mid-size company (50 to 500 people), start with your HR business partner or workplace experience manager. Copy facilities if you know who that is.
At a large enterprise (500+), start with facilities or workplace services. They control the restroom supply budget. HR can champion the initiative but facilities has to execute it.
If you are not sure who to contact, ask whoever orders the toilet paper. Seriously. That person or team is who needs to add period products to the same order.
The Email Template
Copy this, fill in the brackets, and send it.
Subject: Adding period products to restroom supplies
Hi [Name],
I've been thinking about this for a while and figured I'd just bring it up.
Our restrooms currently stock toilet paper, soap, and paper towels, but we do not provide pads or tampons. For anyone who has ever had their period start unexpectedly at work, this means leaving the restroom, asking around, or improvising with toilet paper.
I came across a company called UNICORN that makes this really simple. A few things that stood out:
Their dispensers are stainless steel and mount inside the stall with peel-and-stick adhesive in 30 seconds. No tools, no drilling.
Cartridges restock in 10 seconds. Products are 100% organic cotton, made in the USA and EU. And, the tampons have a plant-based applicator.
Companies like JPMorgan Chase, American Express, Toyota, Pepsi, and Taco Bell already use them.
83% of employees at companies using their system report less stress, and 99% say it makes them feel their company cares about their well-being.
Refills can be ordered through our existing supply chain, so it would fold right into our existing operational flow.
This is not a big initiative. It is adding one more item to the restroom supply list.
Would you be open to looking into it? I can send over more info or we could set up a quick call with their team.
Thanks,
[Your name]
The Slack or Teams Message Version
If your workplace is more casual and email feels too formal, here is a shorter version for Slack or Teams.
Hey [Name], I've been meaning to bring this up. Our restrooms have TP, soap, and paper towels but no pads or tampons. I found a company called UNICORN that makes in-stall dispensers. They install in 30 seconds, restock in 10 seconds with organic cotton products, and companies like JPMorgan Chase and Toyota already use them. We can order through our existing distributor. Can I put you in touch with their team?
The Talking Points (If You Get a Meeting)
If your email leads to a conversation, here are the points to hit.
"It is a restroom supply, not a benefit." This keeps it out of the benefits budget conversation and in the facilities supply budget where it belongs. Toilet paper is not a benefit. Neither are period products.
"The cost is lower than you think." Most decision-makers assume period products are expensive to provide. The reality is the ongoing refill cost is lower than paper towels per restroom. The dispenser is free, we just pay shipping.
"Modern systems are low maintenance." The old image of a coin-operated metal box that jams and never gets refilled is what most people picture. Modern in-stall dispensers use pre-packed cartridges that swap in 10 seconds. No hand-loading, no jamming, no coins.
"Big companies already do this." JPMorgan Chase, American Express, Toyota, Pepsi, Taco Bell, and IBM all provide free period products inside every restroom stall. Mentioning recognizable names removes the sense that this is experimental or risky.
"Products go inside the stall." This is the detail that changes the conversation. Most people assume free period products means a basket on the counter. When you explain that modern systems put them inside the stall, right next to the toilet paper, it clicks. That is the standard people compare it to.
"Start with a pilot." If there is budget hesitation, suggest outfitting 5 to 10 restrooms one building for 90 days and measuring usage. This removes the risk of a full commitment and gives the decision-maker real data to work with.
What If They Say No
If the answer is no or "not right now," do not drop it. Here is how to keep it alive.'
Ask what would need to be true. "What would need to change for this to be possible?" gives you a specific obstacle to address rather than a vague rejection.
Find allies. Talk to coworkers. If five people send the same request independently, it carries more weight than one person asking repeatedly.
Reference legislation. Several U.S. states and municipalities now require free menstrual products in certain workplaces, schools, or public buildings. If your state has a mandate, the conversation shifts from "should we" to "we need to comply."
Try again in Q1. Budget cycles reset. A request that got deprioritized in October might have room in the new fiscal year.
Resources
For more information on workplace period care systems, visit everystall.com or contact lindsay@everystall.com.
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