Period policy

I'm sorry but I just don't agree. What will this make us look like, we're always "ill" weak females...haven't we heard that some time before? So should we have time off when we have a headache, is that a MEDICAL (shouting) issue? Should we always be asking for excuses because we're female. There is a huge difference between periods and needing time to nurse a newborn and i'd like paternity leave to be a real thing here too for that matter. I know some people have painful periods, I do from time to time. But this is a terrible idea because many women will take advantage of this, because people do take advantage, and set us all back years and years. It's not an illness, we are not ill, it shouldn't be stigmatised but nor is it an excuse to miss work. There were so many girls in school who really did not have hugely painful periods who simply used it as an excuse to miss PE or even not come to school...they will be doing the same thing at work and that will be bad for all of us.

I think it's great idea! As I used to have heavy pain no pain killer would work and will creat very heavy flow when I was young, being on period isn't sickness, and no doctor will ever give a sick note of period pain to be presented to your work. Being on period is natural occurrence, it's not sickness and we need to stop stigmatising ourselves more than the society already do. I remember when I was pregnant used to have morning sickness like any other pregnant women, however I had this boss complained about me that I'm not in the office and always in the bathroom, I explained to him that matter, then he told me then don't show up to work and take sick leave! I told him sorry are you expecting me to have sick leave for 3 months? I can't afford it, no doctor would even give me such sick leave and even if I found one, no hr would accept it. Then he told me : then why you still working after you got married!! Neither less I can explain how he tried hard to take my nursing hour with her s manipulation.... But when his manager - she was female - was pregnant; he didn't bat an eye lid! Sure he was doing his best for anyone under his supervision, but couldn't do the same for his superiors. May I say: we women tend to bring each one of us down on the behalf of the society, safeguarding the the attitude toward us, not standing by each other so we all - men and women - have equal rights and equal pay. Third culture family, you said everything I wanted to say ??

Daft idea - what's wrong with women reporting sick when they have period pains in the same way as any other illness ? Much easier to employ men these days - ok, so you have to pay them a bit more but save loads on not having to give maternity pay, breast feeding breaks and now period leave and they don't call in sick when their kids are ill or they have some other home emergency... I don't know if this is mean to be funny, but I'll answer it in a serious tone because I know many people (both men and women) actually agree with what you are saying. 1. There's usually a limit to sick days...and as you mentioned, women are often left juggling those between their own and their children's illnesses. We're talking about health...is it really hard to understand that having healthy workers makes for more productivity and better results? 2. The stigma against women for taking time out of their work lives for things out of their control (aka just being a woman) is ridiculous in this day and age. A human being grows inside your body and exits out of it! A human! And for the majority of your life, even when you are not pregnant, you have to deal with the "preparation" for that event. You can't CHOOSE to have period pains. 3. Sexual discrimination. Not hiring a woman based on her gender is utterly stupid. It is as ridiculous and wrong as any bias: religious, cultural, color of your skin, weight, age, etc. People who are making light of this situation: so should we not hire disabled people in the workforce because we could "save loads" on not having to give them basic, common sense things like access ramps? RIDICULOUS!

Daft idea - what's wrong with women reporting sick when they have period pains in the same way as any other illness ? Much easier to employ men these days - ok, so you have to pay them a bit more but save loads on not having to give maternity pay, breast feeding breaks and now period leave and they don't call in sick when their kids are ill or they have some other home emergency... Wow.............. From your post Men get paid more than women Only women get maternity leave and fathers don't get paternity leave Employing a woman who formula feeds would be preferable to someone who breast feeds so you don't have to give them a break Employers should not be flexible and allow their employees some flexibility to work around children's illness Only mums are involved in home emergencies/children's illnesses and not dads so therefore a man should be employed over a woman Wow. was transported back to 1953 there for a minute........!

Daft idea - what's wrong with women reporting sick when they have period pains in the same way as any other illness ? Much easier to employ men these days - ok, so you have to pay them a bit more but save loads on not having to give maternity pay, breast feeding breaks and now period leave and they don't call in sick when their kids are ill or they have some other home emergency...

I hope you guys read the article...the position this company is taking is so very carefully thought out. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/02/uk-company-introduce-period-policy-female-staff It's not like they are taking a outdated, male chauvinist stance: "oh poor weaker *** can't handle monthlies, we should let them take a sicky and go get a pedi." Here are some actual quotes from the article: “For too long there’s been a taboo surrounding periods – I have women staff telling me they’re ashamed to admit they’re in pain. I want us to break down that shame and replace the negativity with positivity. Both men and women have been open to the ideas, especially from the younger generation." “It’s not just about taking time off if you feel unwell but about empowering people to be their optimum selves. If you work with your natural rhythms, your creativity and intelligence is more fulfilled. And that’s got to be good for business.” Doesn't sound groundbreaking or controversial at all...seems like common sense. ThirdCultureFamily you said everything i wanted to and more! Thank you. The one place I've been lucky enough to work at - one where staff were treated with respect and care, where there was flexibility and transparency, was the best job I've ever had in terms of atmosphere, sense of loyalty and productivity. The article makes very interesting reading. :rainbow:

I hope you guys read the article...the position this company is taking is so very carefully thought out. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/mar/02/uk-company-introduce-period-policy-female-staff It's not like they are taking a outdated, male chauvinist stance: "oh poor weaker *** can't handle monthlies, we should let them take a sicky and go get a pedi." Here are some actual quotes from the article: “For too long there’s been a taboo surrounding periods – I have women staff telling me they’re ashamed to admit they’re in pain. I want us to break down that shame and replace the negativity with positivity. Both men and women have been open to the ideas, especially from the younger generation." “It’s not just about taking time off if you feel unwell but about empowering people to be their optimum selves. If you work with your natural rhythms, your creativity and intelligence is more fulfilled. And that’s got to be good for business.” Doesn't sound groundbreaking or controversial at all...seems like common sense.

Women have been wanting equal rights for years then this happens. What a load of rubbish. This isn't an apples to apples comparison. Equality in the workplace does not mean you want to be treated exactly the same way as a man. For example, would you say that setting up a breastfeeding room and allowing for 2 breaks per day for a woman to breastfeed to be unfair/unequal treatment for breastfeeding women...what about the moms that formula-feed, shouldn't they also get that time (and men as well)? See how you can't make everything like for like? Equality in the workplace has more to do with equal pay for equal skill set and work done. Female c-level executives (when they can even get into those positions) are paid less and subjected to much harsher criticism than their male counterparts. Period pain is not something to be taken lightly. Some times it's light (I get moody, but no pain) and for other women it is debilitating. Should women with heavy/hurtful periods just not join the workforce? Or should they "tough it out" to show we are "equals" in the workplace? I mean do you really want someone in your meeting doubled-over in pain in the name of equality? It's the same issue with forcing people to work a certain number of office hours...quantity over quality. Studies have shown that when you reduce work hours or make them flexible, you get more productivity out of people. They know that they have less time to get their work done, so they work harder in that time. This idea that women are going to take time off because of a HEALTH ISSUE doesn't mean they'll be off on a holiday once a month! They'll still be the same deadlines in place. There will be the same responsibilities. If anything, most women (if they want to keep their jobs) will work even harder to make sure they don't fall behind. Many women would probably still work from home. Pain and other problems from your period are a HEALTH issue. Just because you get it regularly doesn't lessen the impact on your life or make it any less important to address or accommodate. Honestly, I'm shocked at the responses here.

In my first job here, female employees regularly went home early, were excused for not doing much that day etc if they declared it was their period. It was quite accepted!

And what about the ladies that have the coil, take the pill, have had a hysterectomy, a medical condition and don't have any periods at all!!! Then some that have a period for 8 days nothing for 2 weeks then starts again !!!!! Hmmm ,there may be trouble ahead!

Women have been wanting equal rights for years then this happens. What a load of rubbish.

Doesn't it just mean that all those girls who used it as an excuse to get out of PE will now be using it as an excuse to get out of work?

I wonder how they would control the leaves etc? and does that mean almost every lady works like 3 weeks only for the month? The policy sounds very women friendly and the company cares for the employees but how feasible is it? i really doubt!