Periods are painful and messy, and it’s a public health issue no one cares about.
When I used to work full time, I don’t like to take a day off for my periods unless I am unable to work. Well, that has rarely happened. Moreover, I would say if a woman feels she needs the day off to care for herself and that’s fine as well.
In our society, the menstrual problems must be addressed by passing a law entitling women to menstrual leave,
Employers too can explore more options rather granting period leave. Well, they can increase the number of casual or sick leaves for their female employees. Or, they can leverage technology if possible to offer work-from-home options.
How I managed being on period at work?
I had very less experience of extreme painful periods, somehow managed by taking sick leaves or giving different excuses. I was not comfortable while sharing the reason of leave to my seniors. I thought what would they think or how they react.
Whereas, one of my fellow female colleague didn’t get leave had to work for 10 hours in pain. She used to get awful pains and some days she even ended up in hospital and was simply laughed at by the seniors (male) and not allowed to take the day off… but a man having flu…. that’s a damn… serious issue.
Another friend of mine had extremely heavy/painful periods and she did work from home at least one day a month….but couldn’t able to tell her (male) boss the real reason for being at home. She uses to take sick leave.
What’s been your experience of having menstruation in the office? What do you think employers can do to formulate things better?
Do you think paid period leave is a good idea?
It would be nice to know your thoughts about it, take few minutes and write down on the comments section.
Period leaves – A new talk of the corporate
Recently, Zomato announces period leave to menstruating employees. They can take leave during their menstruation. Zomato CEO, Deepinder Goyal mentioned that period leave applies for women and transgender employees. Now women take legitimately 10 days more leaves than men.
He also said the reason behind this policy is to foster a culture of trust, truth, and acceptance. Now women should not have any hesitation to assign for period leave.
If women take maternity leave then why not take period leave. Menstruation is a biological phenomenon. However, women should not feel any shame to take leave for menstruation. Every woman goes through the pain in periods.
Most of the women have 14 menstrual cycles in a year. Some women with ovarian cysts and endometriosis usually face much more severe pain than others during menstruation. So they need a rest.
Presently, they can apply for period leave for that day easily. If anybody will face persecution they can report it.
It is a good step which is taken by Zomato.
Menstruation is not dirty or shameful for women rather it’s a boon for women. We should talk on this matter without any hesitation. In India, the majority of people do not want to talk on this topic and they are less aware of menstruation. But now this is pleasant to know about this policy.
India’s workplaces need to understand menstruation challenges better. Offices must acknowledge women’s periods and create equitable workplace; also one should help in creating a safe environment for women in the profession.
We have Akshay Kumar’s PadMan and many more documentaries about periods; now it’s high time to talk about the subject in workplaces, where we spend nearly ten hours every day. It is kind of a second home, and changes have to be made when it comes to menstruation-related matters.
Freely available armour for periods
At many workplaces, women don’t have access to their armor — sanitary napkins, tampons, menstrual cups — when we need it the most. In our difficult times, we have to approach other female colleagues and whisper into their ears if they have it.
Offices always have a first aid kit with necessary medicines handy but sadly don’t include sanitary napkins and tampons. If someone would have thought of it genuinely then it would create a more equitable workspace recognizing basic needs of women. It would really make us feel acknowledged and create a safe space for us in the profession.
Moreover, In August 2017, senior journalist Barkha Dutt argued for the same that giving women a day off on their periods was a sexist policy.
One-day leave during periods
I am aware that all women’s experiences of menstruation days are not alike. Some faces excruciating pain whereas others periods are bearable. Some has a longer one, while some have a shorter one. However, it would be nice to have the choice to take a day off, instead of calling in sick and having to listen to senior colleagues recount the number of times they dealt with the pain by taking a pill.
We women are not competing for any kind of tragedy here, but a little acknowledgement of periods only makes people at workspace more empathetic and concerned. Not all women choose to take a leave on their period day, and while even I may take a day off in this month, but I might not needed in the next month.
Let’s talk about PMS
Offices or our workspaces environment might not be able to discuss something as specific as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), but there is a high time to recognize it beyond the silly jokes that are splintered to poke fun at women about how not being competent enough in positions of power.
Many women suffered with related disease, which has a more extreme form of PMS — Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) — the symptoms experienced in the week before periods can make one feel very low. It will gives you a feeling of sucking yourself into a whirlpool, which can be extremely crippling for your mental health and land you into a state of confusion.
Acknowledging these painful realities will only increase productivity at the workspace because it would create an open and free space that would be more conducive and sense of acceptance for women to work in. I can cry in the bathroom one minute and be strong the next, or be boss while crying as well.
How we view periods
My friend’s views, “As someone who has just started working after finishing college, I am extremely cautious of people calling me ‘unprofessional’ and ‘weak’ or someone who ‘takes an off because she has period cramps’. So, I end up working through the pain because I don’t want to be seen as a lazy employee. My workspace is where I spend the whole day and I want everyone to take me seriously there.”
Like our stories, popular culture, romance, and many other things, how we view periods is also dominated by the male perspective.
Twinkle Khanna had once said at an event that “If a male politician put a pad between his legs with blood dripping all day, I am sure pads would be freely available in public institutions”.
I’ll take it a step further. If that were to happen, men would be applauded for bearing the pain, it would be added to the list of the great things they do, period holidays would become a thing, and the conversation around periods would be a lot different than now.
I don’t need a gold star for dealing with my periods, but it’s exhausting to talk about it alone.
I only want people to accept that we are born like this. We are natural. If God has given us the choice of choosing to have periods or not, then I’m sure 100% women would choose life without periods. Unfortunately, we don’t.
So, I only thing we need is respect and acknowledge at workplace.
How I managed being on period at work?
I had very less experience of extreme painful periods, somehow managed by having painkillers or by taking sick leaves. I was not comfortable while sharing the reason of leave to my seniors. I thought what would they think or how they react.
Well I remember, one of my fellow female colleagues didn’t get leave and had to work for 10 hours in pain. She used to get awful pains and some days she even ended up in hospital and was simply laughed at by the seniors (male) and not allowed to take the day off… but a man having flu…. that’s a damn… serious issue.
Recently, Zomato, an Indian food delivery company, announced period leaves for menstruating women employees. Now they can take 10 days more leaves in a year.
It’s a great step towards building a safer workspace environment fostering acceptance for women employees.
Share your views here….
What do you think employers can do to make things better?
Do you think paid period leave is a good idea?