Have you ever experienced period pain so intense that you wanted to take a sick day?
A company in the United Kingdom will let its employees do just that.
Coexist, a hip social enterprise company with mostly female employees, is establishing a new “period leave policy” in mid-March. The owner is following the idea that women are more productive following their period, but can experience less energy and productivity while menstruating.
Women will be encouraged to go home early if they feel unwell, and talk openly about their periods, according to an article in the Huffington Post.
Period discomfort is very common, with 75 percent of females experiencing pain of varying degrees at some point during their periods, according to the National Institutes of Health. And 10 percent of women experience pain so intense that they are unable to carry out their usual activities between one and three days each month.
While we’ve never heard of an official “period policy” in an American workplace, our UK friends certainly aren’t alone in their care and concern for female employees.
In February, the Anhui province in China became the latest to launch a menstrual leave policy, which allows employees up to two days off for difficult periods. The policy is similar to those in two other Chinese provinces.
For nearly 60 years, Japan has offered “physiological leave” for people who menstruate. Other Asian countries – including Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea – also have enacted policies in recent decades.
