to think a 'day off for periods' is a damaging gimmick

[peaceoftheaction]

This company in the news giving women period days off. I mean ffs women have struggled for so long to get taken seriously in the workplace. I think the publicity about this does more harm than good.

[Greyponcho]

Endo pains are horrendous. I resorted to using holiday days because my sick record was getting horrendous, taking three days off work at a time each month (passing out around heavy machinery is a H&S liability!). I do my darnedest to catch up on weekends/Christmas/evenings so as not to be seen as 'unreliable', yet a sick day is recorded as a sick day even if I do catch up on the work.
I also have a heat pad under my desk because of the constant pain.

Not all periods were created equal: a bit of a twinge does not warrant a day off and could be open to abuse... but unless blokes get achey bollock days, is it really fair?

[TooGood2BeFalse]

I have really easy, light periods, both before and after I had my son. I had mild cramps rarely as a teenager,but nothing that literally one paracetamol wouldn't cure and to be honestly I barely notice when I'm on. But I've seen my sister and several of my friends over the years be in what really looks like absolute agony and misery every time, and they aren't exaggerating. I would definitely support flexible working hours where possible. Surely a more comfortable workforce = more productive business? Win win?

[Flutterbywings]

I haven't read the full thread but I really think this is a good thing. When women are allowed to be in tune with their menstrual cycle, naturally we want to rest and take a day or so out. Shedding your womb lining is a major upheaval for the body! Naturally energy dips to prepare for this, not forgetting all the other hormonal changes that go with it.

[MagicalHamSandwich]

There's no shame around periods at all with my male manager - on the contrary. He's lovely but for some reason believes that living in a house full of women makes him an expert. Love it when he explains women's anatomy, career challenges and preferences to me. I mean, it's not like I know any women or have any experience of being one. I adore him most of the time but his expertise at periods makes me want to strangle him - especially when I am on mine.

[BoffinMum]

I work in a field where it is difficult to rearrange commitments as lectures have to be given and students turn up regardless. I had a colleague who refused to take anything for period pain, and refused to do anything to help herself, and ended up being off three days every month to accommodate this. The rest of us picked up the slack, periods or no periods. I personally had difficult periods at the time and found this a bit inconsiderate.

[Movingonmymind]

Not sure, I know some women suffer horrendous pain. I don't, but I get awful rages (try to keep inside) and feel there is definitely a natural cycle to my month- get me ball-breaking at pmt time, doing a tough deal; working from home, nice and comfy when I'm on and then doing some soft skill and high energy stuff the following week or so. And repeat! We work to a clock and possibly patriarchal agenda so no go.

[OohMavis]

So women who experience a severely painful first 24 hours or so of their periods should just take sick leave? That's anything up to 12 instances of sickness in one year. My old workplace allowed you 3, YES THREE, before you were disciplined.

And if a woman was forced to use up what little sick leave she had on something that, for her, was a predictable and inevitable monthly occurrence, she'd be fucked if she came down with the flu or some other horrible infectious illness.

Men wouldn't need to worry.

How's that equal?

[Movingonmymind]

Of course it's not equal but unfortunately not sure how it would help our cause overall at this moment in time to flag this up as a particular issue, think it would ebcome a stick to beat us with. And another reason not to employ women of childbearing age. It's crap, i agree!

[lynholmerpark]

Not a gimmick. My periods increasingly debilitating and I'm frequently flooding through double sanitary ware for at least one day of my period. Also have the type of job where difficult to nip to the loo so often try to work my shifts to avoid being at work on heaviest period days.

[MrsJayy]

Thats true women are going to be off so seen as unreliable but if she is ill and in pain what is she meant to do.

[lynholmerpark]

Patriarchy would have us find a solution to our periods/eg stopping them. It's a feminist issue and as a feminist we should be proud of our and acknowledge our differences, menstruation being one of them.

[Movingonmymind]

In an ideal world, yes. But we're not there yet.

[shazzarooney99]

I have a good pain tolerance, however when it comes to periods, before i come on, i go dizzy, headaches, feel faint, blood sugar levels drops, and when i come on i flood, so much so once i was a at a staff meeting and i stood up and looked at the chair, i had leaked all over the chair, im trying to clean it without anyone noticing and then had to pick my coat up and cover myself to try and walk out the door without being noticed, it was horrendous, i just absolutely flood.

[Ememem84]

In theory I think it's a good idea. Being able to work more flexibly. I have the option to work from home when needed. I am lucky in that j don't have completely debilitating periods. But my sister does. And she has no option but to go into work. She's a teacher.

If I have a bad cold I call in and work from home. If I had really bad period pains I'd do the same. If I can work from home it's not a sick day.

[MistressDeeCee]

My sis suffers horrendous periods. So does DD, albeit for just the 1st 2 days. But she gets migraine alongside it, and migraine is a beast to deal with. Best mate has endometriosis, again horrendous period pain. & I've known women who suffer dysmenorrhoea and seen that they are in terrible pain. So what if some women are given time off if periods are horrendous? & its clear that they make up the time off in other ways?

This is the kind of thing that puts me off feminism - as if we have to be in some kind of hardcore battle, striving to be seen as able to do all that men can do. Well, Im not a man. I don't want to be one, thank you. & Im not in an eternal battle with them because whilst the rifeness of sexism also annoys me and I will challenge it when I come across it (as most women do because its such an intrinsic part of everyday life and society), I don't think its a battle we will win by saying "look, we can do everything you can so no concessions ok, ever".I can't do all a man can do, why would I be able to? Just as a man cannot do all I can do.

Men do not have periods. Women do. & can and do work around periods that are debillitating. All the time. For years on end. Why make it sound as if, women are routinely given "period days" off? Generally, and in this instance, they are not.

Yes articles like this may make some men think "oh look, calling the delicate female card again" but those are the type of men we shouldn't be aiming to "adapt to fit" by proving we are oh so tough. Sexist men are sexist in numerous ways. I have no point to prove to them

Im glad an employer is so understanding, actually. & Id expect if men were the ones who had periods and several suffered illness and pain because of it, then an employer would be equally as understanding.

[manicinsomniac]

Ememem84 teachers aren't superhuman, we are allowed to be off sick! I'm very lucky in that I pretty much don't get periods and I have never had to take a day off work sick. But I would say, in a staff room of 50ish, there is one person off every other day or so for some reason or another. We're normal!

[Maudofallhopefulness]

I agree with you OP. For most of us, periods are a mild annoyance.

[Birdsgottafly]

I wish these sorts of issues would champion the way for women over 50 to be seen as more employable, but it probably won't.

[CaughtUpNearTimbuktu]

For some of us periods are not a mild annoyance though. I have fibroids and as a result have killer periods, I'd say 1 in 3 or 4 leave me needing to stay home in order to sit on the loo because I'm bleeding so heavily.

I think it's a good idea but could be abused

[OhShutUpThomas]

It's absolutely ridiculous, and a massive step back for feminism.

If your periods make you ill, then you can take sick leave, maintaining confidentiality (if you choose) as to why.
Women have always been able to take sick leave in this way when unable to work, for any reason - already including periods.

Women have been working tirelessly for generations to try to gain equal rights in the workplace. 'Period Days' are going to massively set this back.

I'd love to know who dreamt it up.

[CaughtUpNearTimbuktu]

The problem is if you take sick days every month then you stand a high chance of losing your job for something wholly out of your control.

[SecretNutellaFix]

And if you have more than a certain number of sick leaves within a certain space of time you face disciplinary action.

My husband's company, it's 2 instances within 4 months gets an initial warning and if you have a third within the six months after that it's the next stage. You have 4 disciplinaries before you get fired.

My employer is 3 sets of sickness within 5 months gets an informal warning. More than that is considered more serious. Persistant absenteeism.

[Movingonmymind]

Maybe pushing for this will lead to a more moderate improvement in time. Anyone else remember the campaign for us to be able to wear a 'I bleed, I breed' badge? Think it died a death fairly quickly. This predated the TFL 'baby on board' badge and may have helped speed along its introduction, who knows. But I know I would have felt uncomfortable wearing the former, but not the latter! This feels a little bit the same. I really wouldn't feel comfortable going cap in hand to my (female) boss to ask for a period day. Maybe our kids or their kids will be different.

[VoldysGoneMouldy]

Periods can be crippling. People can faint, be severely anemic, be bedbound and even hospitalized with how bad they are. Periods for everyone aren't just a bit of cramping; I have full blown contractions, issues with my bowels (think shitting blood, violent explosive shit that comes with no warning, with pain bad enough to make me cry), nausea to the point of vomiting, shooting pain down my legs to the point they give way, my hip joints feeling like they are grinding bone on bone, pain in my cervix like I've been kicked between the legs... I have pain for a week before, two weeks worth of agony, and pain a week after. They are really vile. On top of that I get pain and bleeding during and after sex, again to the point of tears. I spent a large percentage of my days, of my months, clutching a hot water bottle, dosed up on pain killers, and on all fours rocking hoping the pain will stop.

'Luckily' I'm also disabled so unable to work and bother any manager with my gyne issues. But I would never, ever, resent a woman with even a fraction of my issues any time off.

Those of you bitching about this being a set back for women need to take a serious fucking look in the mirror at yourself, because the patriarchal system feeds of the women-on-women hatred that you're fueling with your attitudes.

[Getyercoat]

Those of you bitching about this being a set back for women need to take a serious fucking look in the mirror at yourself, because the patriarchal system feeds of the women-on-women hatred that you're fueling with your attitudes.

This.