Periods: Company offers staff time off and flexible working -BBC: good or bad?

[ellie00]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62041609?theSource=SOLI&utm_medium=social-organic&Override=1

Time off for women having period troubles - thoughts ladies?

I think its really positive. The workplace needs to work for womens biological needs. Maybe that means thinking about something much more different than the default workplace that was designed for men. Women bring so many skills to work, working around differing physical needs shouldn't need to cause issues for organisations.

I think the flexible working is a great thing. If you're on your period, it might be nicer to work from home, or work earlier/later when there's less hustle and bustle around you.

The additional leave thing is something I'm unsure about though. It can be easily abused, and may end up making certain employers less likely to hire women.

I used to take regular sick leave for mine, not everyone has bad periods, so surely that's what sick leave is for? DD has a day off from school every month as well. It's rubbish but what can you do

Of course it’s good. How could it be anything other than positive for women to be treated with respect?

I don’t think it’s a good thing. Businesses already have enough excuses to avoid hiring women if at all possible and many still think of women as weaker than men, a view which may be reinforced if women are allowed off sick more. It also doesn’t solve the underlying issue of women having to put up with pain and discomfort that in many cases could be eased or avoided.

Personally I think it would be more respectful of women if more focus and funding were put into health systems understanding and appreciating woman’s health. Maybe then women would be able to access treatments they need, would have diagnoses within days/months rather than years and would be better able themselves to understand their biology and manage the pain and distress associated with it.

I agree that is what sick leave is for. If you have agonising period pain, you have a condition that prevents you from working that day, and that's okay.

We can't claim that women are every bit as effective and reliable at work as men, if we're offered time off for periods (whether we suffer badly with them or not) and are offered flexi time time when men are not.
Then when periods are over we ask for menopause accommodation as well.

We really can't have it both ways. We will simply make ourselves unemployable.

Exactly, it's a condition that I have, much like the next person might have migraines. I think the key needs to be that it's ok to take sick leave for periods, as I've got older I've just been upfront and taken the time, But when I was younger I struggled through as that was expected .