Woman Tells Boss It's Her Time Of The Month & Gets Sent Home — Others Can't Believe She Got PTO
Working through cramps and nausea should not be a requirement.
@getsomedays / TikTok / Kaspars Grinvalds / Shutterstock Anyone who has experienced a rough menstrual cycle will tell you that all she needed was a hot bath, ice cream, and plenty of sleep. The last thing you most likely wanted to do was go to work during the week. Still, we are expected to power through and go about our normal schedules.
That time of the month often comes along with symptoms including cramps, mood swings, back pain, nausea, and exhaustion.
It is no surprise that people are not as productive as they normally would be during their period, as these side effects along with raging hormones take a toll on their work ethic.
However, what if there was a way that workers could be granted time off during their menstrual cycle, allowing them to catch up on much-needed rest and refresh their productivity?
In some parts of the world, employees are offered paid menstrual leave by their employers. Many women across the globe are pushing for similar policies in their own countries.
Women who suffer from debilitating periods are fighting for paid menstrual leave at their jobs.
In 2021, a group of women came together with a common goal: to raise awareness of period pain and formulate their own methods to alleviate it. They were sick of suffering through their excruciating periods in silence and decided to take it upon themselves to launch products designed to ease menstrual symptoms.
The company named Somedays sells heating pads, teas, creams, and other period remedies for women eager to make their cycles less intense.
“I had my first experience with debilitating period pain when I was hospitalized for it at 9 years old,” the founder of Somedays, Lux Perry disclosed on the company’s website. “For the next 15 years, I was passed from physician to physician, trying to find answers and relief.”
Perry claims that her period pains prohibited her from participating in daily activities, including work. While her aims for her remedies are to alleviate period pain so that people can continue with their lives with little pain, she recognizes the breaks women’s bodies are in desperate need of during menstruation and highlights the importance of paid menstrual leave.
She reveals that she allows her employees paid time off during their menstrual cycles.
“Me on my way to tell my boss I got my period and I’m taking the rest of the week off,” the text reads in a TikTok posted to Perry's company account showing a worker appearing to approach an office while supporting her lower back.
Many other TikTok users were in favor of Perry’s policy.
“I wish that was a thing everywhere!” one user commented.
“I just had a hysterectomy. Fibroids were causing me all kinds of issues and I got in trouble last year for missing work. I wish I had paid period days,” another user expressed.
“Sign me up, I got written up at Amazon for having low rates two weeks ago because of my period and migraines,” another user shared.
“Amazing. Thank you for being a pioneer and forging the way for this to become universal,” another user added.
RELATED: Why TikTokers Are Deleting Their Period Tracking Apps Immediately
Many people experience painful periods, which have a direct effect on their work productivity.
In a world where 80% of menstruating people report experiencing period pains, with 10% of them claiming that it is severe enough to disrupt their everyday lives, paid menstrual leave may not be such a bad idea.
Taking a necessary work break may also be beneficial for overall productivity rates as well. Research depicts that menstruating women often work through their pain, and are therefore less productive as a result.
A 2019 Dutch survey of 32,748 women found that painful, exhausting, or heavy periods accounted for nine days of lost productivity per person, per year.
However, granting these women paid time off would allow them to properly recuperate and return to work invigorated and well-rested.
Recently, Spain became the first country to entitle workers to paid menstrual leave. Other countries, including Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, South Korea, and Zambia have taken a similar approach.
However, countries like the UK and the US have yet to take the matter into consideration and women’s pain more seriously.
These countries that have prioritized workers' health could pave the way for more businesses to allow menstruating people the time off they deserve.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.