“Period care should be as accessible as toilet paper.” That’s the cornerstone of new workplace period-care subscription service Woom. Co-founders Erin Moy and Tessa Westerhof have always been passionate about destigmatising and demystifying menstruation. Their model encourages employers to give staff who have periods free access to organic cotton pads and tampons – the same way they would coffee or toilet paper – stored in a statement orange box.
“So many workplaces are about how to create a good culture, and how to make staff feel like they belong. This is just such an obvious way to do it,” Moy tells Broadsheet.
Since its February launch, the service has seen sign-ups from organisations such as Fujitsu, Maddocks law firm and Ooh Media. Now you’ll also find Woom period products in the bathrooms of some of your favourite bars on York, Clarence and Kent Streets in Sydney’s CBD.
A consortium of more than 14 venues, together known as YCK Laneways, including The Barber Shop, Sammy Junior, PS40 , The Lobo, Duke of Clarence and more, has joined the initiative and now supply free period-care products to customers. Karl Schlothauer, vice president of YCK Laneways Association says, “It’s up to venue owners to do everything they can to create a safer and more inclusive space for their patrons, so this partnership was a no-brainer for us.”
Moy, who is also the founder of creative production company Entropico, wanted to tackle the common experience of being caught unprepared when your period comes at work. No more awkwardly texting your colleagues to see if they have a tampon or searching in the office first aid kit for supplies. (Moy says storage in a first aid kit implies that menstruation is a health problem, which it isn’t.)
The pair want menstruation to be something that can be discussed more openly, so Woom boxes take pride of place in bathrooms. Westerhof (graphic designer and art director at Entropico) designed the packaging: a striking, compact box that’s made to be “the opposite of discreet” and kept out in the open by the main bathroom cabinet or sink.
Each recyclable pack contains 30 organic cotton tampons and five pads; simply slide open the lid to access the product you need. The products are fragrance- and chemical-free, and the boxes (which cost $18.95 each) are replenished monthly. The monthly subscription price is calculated by the number of menstruating staff in the workplace.
One per cent of each sale goes to the Women and Girls Emergency Centre (WAGEC), a Redfern charity organisation supporting women and children impacted by domestic violence, homelessness and systemic disadvantage. Woom also supplies products to WAGEC for its crisis accommodation.
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