Cycle Smarter: 3 Overlooked Strategies to Reduce Absenteeism and Empower Women at Work

Menstrual Hygiene Day on May 28th is a global call to challenge period stigma and prioritise menstrual equity. At work, this conversation is still too often avoided, leaving young women without the support they need. In this blog, advocate and educator Pamella Onoriode shares why menstrual health matters in the workplace and how we can all play a role in creating a more inclusive, empowering environment.

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Each month (give or take), I bleed. And with it comes a quiet, powerful invitation: slow down, tune in, recalibrate. I didn’t always listen.

I’ve led global broadcast teams across the BBC, the Olympics, and the Premier League high-pressure environments where performance is everything. In those spaces, I wore resilience like armour and treated my period like a problem to push through.

Like many ambitious women juggling boardrooms, babies, and big visions, I saw my cycle as a distraction, something to suppress so I could keep pace with a system never designed for my biology.

But then I got curious.

What if my menstrual cycle wasn’t a barrier but a blueprint?

Menstruation as a Mirror

Our cycles reflect more than biology. They act as a monthly review of our energy, clarity, and capacity. The menstrual phase is often associated with low energy but what if we reframed it as a time of heightened intuition and recalibration?

Ancient cultures honoured menstruation as a sacred pause. What if modern workplaces did too?

What If Leadership Had a Cycle?

We praise “always-on” productivity but nature doesn’t work like that. And neither do we. Constant output leads to burnout, disengagement, and poor decision-making.

Our cycle offers a leadership roadmap:

• Menstruation = review & release
  
  
• Follicular = create & ideate
  
  
• Ovulation = collaborate & communicate
  
  
• Luteal = focus & finish
  
  

This isn’t fluff, it's biology. And it’s helping women lead with rhythm, not resistance.

The Absenteeism Conversation

Here’s the business truth: menstruation impacts performance but it doesn't have to derail productivity.

A 2019 Dutch study found that 14% of women take time off work due to severe symptoms like fatigue, pain, or brain fog. Most don’t disclose the real reason. Instead, they “push through,” leading to presenteeism being at work but underperforming.

With 70% of the average workforce made up of women of menstruating age, this isn't a niche. It’s business-critical.

As a leader, ask yourself:

• What would change if women felt empowered to track their cycles and align work accordingly?
  
  
• Could absenteeism drop if we supported natural rhythms instead of forcing uniform productivity?
  
  
• Are we building cultures of trust or burnout?
  

Tracking Is Strategy, Not Sympathy

Cycle tracking isn’t about taking time “off.” It’s about knowing when to show up at your best. It’s self-awareness. It’s smart. It’s the opposite of weakness.

Apps, workshops, and task planning around energy peaks can reduce absenteeism, improve focus, and boost morale. You’re not lowering standards, you're raising emotional intelligence.

A Quick Note on Menopause

Menstrual health doesn’t stop at periods. Menopause is important too and I’m not there yet, but I look forward to it with clarity, not fear. Still, if 70% of your workforce is cycling and you’re not talking about it, you’re missing a major opportunity to support retention, engagement, and wellbeing.

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» READ MORE: PepTalk's top Menopause Speakers

A PepTalk for Menstruation Hygiene Day 

If you bleed, honour it. It’s not a flaw. It’s your leadership tool.
If you lead those who bleed, trust them. Start the conversation. Track trends. Embrace rhythm.

Menstruation isn’t the problem. Not talking about it is.