If you work for a large company do they provide a “wellness” basket? Can you post a picture please?

[Whatdoesyourworkdo]

I’m in Ireland in a large company 7000+ employees. We don’t have any sanitary dispensers in our toilets which is, quite frankly, shit if you get your period unexpectedly or if you leave the house thinking your stash in work is full only to discover it isn’t.

It’s even worse if your a female visitor to the building and you come on unexpectedly. You’d have to leave the meeting for 20+ mins in order to go to the shop to buy products.
Not very inclusive to our female staff/visitors.

So I’ve approached facilities with a request to provide a wellness basket - even just on the visitors level with products. They’ve asked me to provide photos of what this looks like in other large organizations. So...

Can you help me out please?

Thanks!

Gah!
It’s even worse if you’re a female

We don't have anything official, but there are two bags in the ladies loos, one with tampons, and one with towels.

People just take/restock them as required. They don't get used much as far as I can tell, so they are never empty.

A wellness basket could be taken advantage off and who would be responsible for topping it up?

You would be better getting them to provide sanitary dispensers in each ladies toilet block or at least one on each floor.

I work for the NHS. There is precisely fuck all in the staff toilets, we're lucky if they're even clean.
They provide signs saying that we can't under any circumstances use the milk

I live in South Lanarkshire and the South Lanarkshire council have implemented this across their buildings. Not just for staff. In our towns library and leisure centre, all the female bathrooms have baskets with free sanitary products. I'm in the leisure centre every weekday for kids sports clubs and the baskets are always full. They are clearly being used as 1 or 2 things are missing from boxes and the boxes are changed every week, but people aren't stealing them or taking advantage, otherwise they'd be empty most days.

Is this really an issue? I’ve just used a massive wodge of toilet paper in the past, piece of plastic between paper and pants to block flow through if it’s terribly heavy. Just like a female MacGyver😂

Or I’d ask a female colleague.

It’s a nice thing to do though I guess.

I don't have a picture but it's literally just a basket with boxes of tampons and packets of pads. I know loads of women here who are using reusable products though, as we've been discussing it whilst waiting for the kids to finish clubs, so maybe there aren't a whole load of people actually in need of them. However, they seem to be working without anyone taking loads.

Er. Why do they require photos? It's a basket? With wrapped pads and tampons in it?

Alternatively they could be like every other large employer and just put a dispenser in. They should get a contract with Initial or someone to install and restock vending and empty sanitary bins. (Do they even have sanitary bins??) I'd understand if they'd asked you to price up vendors or put a cost estimate around restocking the basket, but photos?

Just Google for some photos of baskets full of pads and stick in a monthly cost for a few packs of new ones.

Our organisation sometimes rents conference rooms and they have these baskets in the loos there. I don't have a photo, but they include wrapped tampons, wrapped sanitary towels, air freshener, small packets of tissues and I think there are also mini toothbrushes and toothpaste. I have never seen anyone helping themselves, and in my experience women haven't helped themselves just to stock up their own supply, if you know what i mean, rather than using them when they're caught short. They're never empty.

I've never had one at work but a few local pubs have baskets in the ladies with sanitary protection, tissues, wipes, deodorant and hairspray. I've seen polite notices up saying please use as needed but don't take items away.

No... there was one but someone robbed a lot of the stuff first time, and it wasn't replaced. A lot of women carry tampons/pads with them; and there's always the toilet roll trick if necessary, as a PP said!

These help?

twitter.com/officialecfc/status/1035447629545660417

halewoodtowncouncil.gov.uk/period-poverty/

I don’t know why I was asked for photos - you’re correct - seems ridiculous now that I’ve thought about it

Sorry that some of you can’t even have milk! We have tea, coffee and fresh fruit provided here. We’re lucky from that point of view.

Re the dispenser - this would cost them probably more money to install and I think they are incredibly bad value for the users. So I think I’d like them to go down the route of provision of free ones. Even to trial it.

I do it at our company. Small fabric bags filled with tampons, liners and pads

There are plenty of images of baskets coming up on a quick Google Images search so you can just pull from there.

I hope they do already pay for a sanitary bin service though.

Can't reception keep a stock, even if they sell them cheaply? Cheaper than having a dispenser and you just need a note in the toilets to tell people where to go to.

Reception keeping a stock seems like a good idea but might be quite intimidating for some staff. I think if I was 20 years younger I might be embarrassed?

Scottish Government buildings all have them, a basket or Tupperware in each loo with tampons and pads.

Forgot to say the fabric bags are hung on the back of the toilet doors on the hooks
One bag has liners and pads, the other a mix of tampons

Ladies toilet I used at a company I visited yesterday had an open pack of tampons and the same of sanitary towels dumped on the window sill next to the sinks. I assume that was this company's (multinational household name manufacturer) attempt at a 'wellness basket'.

Surely it's the provision of these items and a note saying 'help yourself if you need them' with arrangements being in place to stock up is what is needed not a twee name and pretty presentation?

Just get some sort of suitably sized box or basket, write a note and put some tampons and towels in it? Are facilities so devoid of imagination and independent thought that they are unable to work this out for themselves?

Is this really an issue? I’ve just used a massive wodge of toilet paper in the past, piece of plastic between paper and pants to block flow through if it’s terribly heavy. Just like a female MacGyver😂

Exactly. That's how most people make do.

Anyway I do like the idea and I'm glad you've raised it with your company. It'll cost so little to do but would be very much appreciated