In the past, there was a great lack of awareness, understanding and empathy towards the physical differences among genders, which is why most organizations did not have any policies that catered to the specific needs of women, and so women shied away from participating in the workforce in large numbers.
Over the years, the increase in awareness and education around women’s issues has led to more discourse around the needs of working women, thus recognizing a need for change in the workplace policies. “In the 1990s, as the women workers of Bihar demanded for a menstruation leave policy, the state government implemented the same as ‘Special Casual Leave’. This opened a path for more discussion around the policy and with the introduction of the ‘Menstruation Benefit Bill’ in 2018 the Indian government and many companies started taking the issue more seriously. Having originated in Bihar, SAVE Solutions Pvt. Ltd. too took the initiative of implementing this policy in 2022 in our company, Pan India, with a sense of priority," says Aditi Mittal, Group Head-HR, SAVE Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
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The introduction of a Menstrual Leave Policy ensures that diversity and inclusion are truly materialized at the workplace. An Equitable workspace creates an Equal workspace. Equitable policies like the menstrual leave policy ensure that the workplace is more attentive towards the varied needs of the employees.
“We have always given the highest priority to the wellbeing of the employees, which is why employee centric policies have always been the focus of our policy making process. We understand the differences and the needs of our women employees and thus we have taken the initiative of offering 12 annual paid leaves to the female employees, with a no questions asked policy," adds Mittal.
Creating policies that understand the actual practical needs of the employees can truly help in creating a healthy work life balance.
Employee centric policies such as the menstrual leave policy, can lead the way in making safe working spaces for female employees. We are ensuring that the correct measures are taken to offer the right sensitization in the organization, with the help of the leadership.
“We believe that the implementation of a period leave in the workplace not only addresses the issue of discomfort for menstruators but also helps mitigate the reluctance towards conversations around periods," believes Mittal.
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