It’s one of the most talked about policies at the moment. Ever since Culture Machine came out with their video introducing paid menstrual leave for women employees, the country and international media have been abuzz. The move came as a welcome respite for several women who deal with extremely painful periods and the policy was soon adopted by three other companies. And now, Chennai-based Magzter has embraced it as well, and has offered its women employees paid menstrual leave each month.
Girish Ramdas, co-founder and CEO, Magzter, says, “When I received the Culture Machine video on WhatsApp 10 days ago, I was intrigued as to why this was not already available. A quick call to my HR head, who happens to be a woman, revealed that even she hadn’t heard of it before. We put a plan into motion with our team to implement it immediately for our global team starting with our Chennai office.”
According to him, Magzter prides itself as an organisation with an inclusive culture. “A truly inclusive team is one that understands and respects differences, be it mental, physical or biological. Initially, my HR Head felt it would be embarrassing and the ladies may not receive it well. But then we did a quick anonymous survey and were pleasantly surprised that they were all happy to have their troubles even been thought about. Once we announced the policy it was welcomed by even the male employees.”
The company currently has 20 women employees out of a total of 65, on board, in their Chennai office.
Despite the counter argument towards the policy that states women should not be made to feel different with special policies such as the menstrual leave, Ramdas believes that it is important to address the issue. “There are many women who face severe cramps and pain on the initial days of their period. The situation is more challenging for working women in India as, more often than not, they are unable to freely discuss menstruation, or the pain they go through every month with their male colleagues and managers because of the taboo surrounding a normal biological process. We want to shun such old-world taboos that demean women and their physiological needs and also make this a mainstream item that the women should not feel delicate about — just like taking a day off for a cold or cough.”
Interestingly, with Ramdas, the practice extends to his house help too. “Not as a policy, but they do get to take the day off if they want to. We also encourage our kids to freely talk about menstruation. Even my 10-year-old son knows about periods and is cool with it. We need to sensitise people on all these issues and this is just a small step in the right direction.”
- The tradition of menstrual leave began in Japan after the Second World War where as per the 1947 Labour Standards Law, any woman with painful periods or a job which might exacerbate period pains was allowed leave.
- In Taiwan a menstrual leave legislation guarantees women three days of menstrual leave a year on top of the 30 days half-paid sick leave given to all workers.
- Women in northern Shanxi and central Hubei provinces of China are also entitled to menstrual leave. In Anhui province though, women need to provide a doctor’s note to avail the leave.
- UK company Coexist also announced a period policy that allows women to take time off during their periods without stigma.