Periods & Workplace Productivity — Let’s Talk About It.
This week, I was scrolling through some writer’s forums, and there was a woman wondering hopelessly about how to be productive on her period.
Other women responded:
“I’ve got a heat pack that is pretty much attached to me at all times and it helps me grin and bear it. Pain pills don’t seem to do much for me anymore and my cramps are borderline debilitating these days.”
“I’m dreading it. Not just the pain that’s barely touched by pain killers, but the way it absolutely kills my creativity. I muddle through somehow but. Lord I hate it… not sleeping through it is so hard.”
“I’ve been sitting/walking everywhere with a hot water bottle all day, my back and hip hurt, as well as cramps, and I’m so irritable. Either being on the verge of crying or wanting to break things is not great when you’re stressed.”
“Whenever they’re happening I have goosebumps and can’t do much other than writhe in pain. I thought I was the only one who went into the abyss of uncontrollable sobbing during mother nature’s visit.”
Other women talked about seeking treatment for their periods. Some were successfully taking birth control, like this one:
“Thankfully I’ve been taking birth control… and I won’t have cramps where I’m lying in the fetal position on my bed… feeling like six jackhammers are trying to break out of my stomach.”
Others, however, dealt with years of seeking treatment from doctors that didn’t quite seem to understand:
“I had a family doctor tell me I’m overweight and that’s why I’m in crippling abdominal pain and near vomiting each cycle (and sometimes between). I was 130 when I went to him with issues.
As I scrolled through post after post, I realized I wasn’t alone. And I was so glad that there was a space for people to talk about it. Many women I know just try to “grin and bear it” when it’s that time of the month because it’s easier than having a conversation with their boss about it.
Even in the original poster’s introduction, she was worried whether she was posting in the right place and whether it was allowed.
For women, periods are just a part of life. We deal with it every month. Yet, to the professional world, it’s rarely a reasonable excuse for loss of productivity.
In the Beginning, There Was Pain
At my first job entering the corporate world, I often lied about having a migraine when I was on my period. Somehow, it made my lack of productivity around that time less threatening. I worked in a male-dominated space in the tech world, and hard work was valued over self-care. I remember a time my team lead actually congratulated an employee for “pushing through” while she was sick.
This team lead also made fun of me for being a millennial and all the things that came with that, like being a snowflake and being “soft”. (To be fair, I would often clap back and talk about all the culture references I didn’t know because ‘I wasn’t born yet’).
I didn’t know I was in a “toxic” work culture. I didn’t know how to express that my period was severely inhibiting my productivity, and that I needed to talk about it. I was waiting for permission. Like some of you, I was worried my male coworkers would judge me, that they’d roll their eyes at how much of a “soft” millennial I was.
Day-to-Day Period Pains
My period symptoms fall under a category of mood disorders, and the official name is Premenstrual Dysphoria Disorder, or PMDD for short. I think women often have this disorder without realizing it. However, because there are other women with worse symptoms than ours, we end up thinking it’s something we need to deal with and just “push through”. It took six months of meticulously tracking my period symptoms before I felt I could “claim” this diagnosis.
I was irritable, exhausted, angry, and anxious. Small things seemed huge, and I was easily stressed. I often said things I couldn’t take back to the people I loved. Because I didn’t see my period as a “real” reason for my mood swings and personality changes, I would tell myself to not “make excuses”. Male coworkers wondered aloud whether my PMDD was just a placebo effect, an excuse for bad behavior once a month. A small voice in my head wondered if they were right and I was just lazy, wanting to get out of work.
Productivity in Our Culture
However, I feel encouraged in moments where my pain is reflected back at me, and I realize I’m not alone. When you read all the posts from women going through their periods, are you thinking “Wow, what a whiny bunch”? Nah — you’re probably realizing it’s not women who make a big deal about their periods; it’s society that downplays it.
In Western culture, we function on masculine productivity, where people are measured by the hours they work, rather than the outcomes they produce. Eight hours scrolling through Facebook is worth more to a corporation than two hours of focused creation and innovation. But people aren’t robots, and we don’t produce consistent output through all hours of the day.
Women, luckily, have a monthly ritual that signals when it’s time to slow down, but I believe men have these cycles too. They’re just less obvious. So when people are told to check boxes of productivity no matter what, even if it means nothing about their impact or value, it encourages people to disconnect with themselves. It forces them to ignore their needs in exchange for a vanity metric.
Learning From My Period Mistakes
At my first job, I was inexperienced. I didn’t know what I needed. I didn’t question how things were, because I thought it was how it was supposed to be. I tried to fit in instead of making things better. Now, I avoid working for companies that don’t see their employees as humans first.
I’ve learned to talk about my period upfront, share resources about my symptoms, and advocate for myself when I can’t just “push through”. I make up for it by working odd hours, whether it’s later in the evening or early mornings when my body wakes me up at 4am. Some might protest this isn’t great work-life balance, but I prefer to see it as great work-life management.
I’m lucky to have a boss and a team that is understanding. They don’t shame me for the days when I can’t get out of bed, whether it’s because I’m physically or mentally exhausted. Instead, they empathize with me. They take my pain seriously, and it has helped me to heal and realize my pain does matter, that it’s a valid reason to take a break.
Life Beyond the Timesheet
I’m not advocating for wishy-washy behavior. I do my best to deliver on my deadlines and take my promises seriously. But when my body is pleading for me to slow down, I communicate the best I can and make sure I’m managing expectations appropriately.
And for the men reading this, know that it’s okay to take a break sometimes too, period or not. On days when you’re just not feeling it, when the world feels heavy on your shoulders, when your body is screaming at you to rest — advocate for yourself, take breaks, and build trust by delivering on your promises.
I’ll admit, I’m not perfect at it. I drop the ball sometimes, and so will you. All we can do is take tiny steps in the right direction, and know we’re improving every day.
Importantly, be kind to yourself. Life is hard enough without at least one person having your own back, so be on your own team. Communicate clearly. Get what you need. And remember who you are and what you’re worth beyond the timesheet.
Want to get in touch? Shoot me an email at joyce@joyceling.net or sign up for my every-once-in-a-while newsletter.
