Is Period Leave Justified ?

Let me begin with saying, YES Period leave is justified and is not a privilege - Period! Thanks, Zomato, for bringing this to everyone’s notice!

It’s not a secret, we all know for most part of their adult lives, women bleed every month! Women hide and go about with their daily chores be it at home or workplace. Girls hit puberty and this roller coast becomes a part of their life. Imagine being on a roller-coaster of hormones for so many years. These hormones affect us physically and emotionally. This happens not just in puberty but all along our reproductive age. The same people who are debating if it a progressive or regressive thing to allow paid period leaves, are the ones who crack jokes on PMS!

#NOSHAMEINPAIN

We still have a lot of stigma attached to menstruation in our country. I think adding a benefit to utilize, will make it an easier and more open topic of discussion at the table. Being comfortable and able to rest bare minimum on the first day of your period is merely sugar coating the crippling pain that many women fear every month. I have seen women collapsing, vomiting and being so much in pain that can’t even leave their house.

As a young girl when you start menstruating, the pain and irregular cycle make it very frustrating and embarrassing. But you are told, this will get better with time. You get married and the hormonal roller-coaster reaches its peak and things are still painful. Then you hear, once you have kids it gets better. Let me tell you – it doesn’t!

In fact, for some women it gets worse with age. So, what do we expect here, I feel one day, at least one day of rest is 100% justified! Pain or no pain, the bleeding is heavy, and we need to be in a comfortable place and where we are able to take regular breaks without giving explanation. Staining is such a headache, being at home can save some unnecessary deliberate alertness.

I don’t know how many of you have read the Zomato Policy “Anyone who menstruate, will be eligible for 10 days of period leave” I simply love the way it is worded; it is so gender neutral. Basically, it also encompasses transgender employees. Now let me pour in my two cents, as to why we need to have it as a more prevalent policy across workplaces and work sectors.

1.   No kidding, we need rest, its painful!

2.   We need not hide behind the stigma; we need to talk more and more about it.

3.   It is not regressive, with more and more women entering the workplace, its needed, to help them stay on and be more productive.

4.   I don’t want to utilize my leaves for taking rest during Periods. I need to have them for my vacations which I truly deserve.

5.   It can be optional, and we leave the choice to the women to decide.

All said and done, I applaud Zomato for their policy and wish more employers take clue from them. Let’s make our workplace policies more employee friendly and diverse. It’s a proven fact, organizations rich in diversity perform better in major financial indices.

Before I conclude, I would say, “Charity begins at home”, let’s start with giving our maid period leave! Do comment if you agree.