A company in the UK has received praise from women worldwide recently after they introduced a new policy named the “period policy” to help its female employees cope during their time of the month.
The new policy, has been seen as a necessity for women as they will be allowed to work flexible hours when their monthly cycle occurs. The company Coexist, a community interest company based in Bristol, is believed to the first in the UK to introduce the new policy. The company decided to introduce the new policy because they have a large female workforce and believe a flexible working environment would be beneficial to women who experience severe pain during their monthly cycle.
The introduction of the female friendly policy was welcomed by Bex Baxter, a director at Coexist, who said: “As a manager of staff I have seen women really suffer with their periods and I have found them doubled over in a lot of pain. “They feel guilty and ashamed for taking time off and often sit at their desks in silence not wanting to acknowledge it. “It started from there and we thought we had to see what we could do about it and try and break the last great taboo. “Nothing like this has been done in the UK before, we believe, and if it has, it has been very small.”
Ms Baxter also said she believes the new policy will be of benefit to the company as it will increase productivity, she also hopes other companies worldwide will follow suit and introduce similiar policies. Ms Baxter said: “Many companies are male-dominated and encourage long hours but there is a misconception that taking time off makes a business unproductive.” “This is not about employees taking more time off but working more flexibly and efficiently around their menstrual cycle and encouraging a work-life balance. “When women are having their periods they are in a winter state, when they need to regroup, keep warm and nourish their bodies. “The spring section of the cycle, immediately after a period, is a time when women are actually three times as productive as usual.”