FabSwingers.com forum: Company introduce 'period policy' for female staff..

By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago

A Bristol company has introduced a 'period policy'

Coexist plan to tap in to their employee's natural cycle to create a happier and healthier working environment.

The community interest company has a largely female workforce and wants to acknowledge the monthly trauma many women experience and have said that if any of their female employees are suffering from period pains they can go home.

The payoff is a more productive workplace where productivity is boosted at other times of the cycle.

New age mumbo jumbo or a jolly good idea?

Link here: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/Bristol-company-introduce-period-policy-female/story-28830255-detail/story.html#ixzz41ekXPYoT

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Not impressed, it's hardly doing anything for equal rights is it? Granted as the male half of us I don't know how period pains feel. But why should someone be entitled to leave work early do do something that happens normally? It's not a disability it's nature.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Interesting idea but open to abuse. An ex of mine used to suffer terribly with period pains and hot flushes if i told her not to go to work she would tear a strip off me!

How will the male workforce react? Will there still be equal opportunity if a female member of staff is frequently taking 'period days'?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'm not a fan. It seems terribly unfair to me. If a woman is feeling that horribly on her period that she doesn't feel she can work then I can understand being given a sick day. Making it a company policy seems over the top and I don't think it would engender great relations between male and female staff in most work environments.

-Courtney

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By *riskynriskyCouple
over a year ago

Essex.

What if their periods all sync?

Will they shut down for a week?

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By *adyboy-DaddyCouple
over a year ago

Andover

I used to work for a company that had over 50 long term women employees all working closely together.

The phenomenon of "synchronised periods@ was recognised to such an extent that the departments production requirements were dropped by 15% on the applicable weeks.

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By *om and JennieCouple
over a year ago

Chams or Socials

Typed a long reply but cba to post it

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By *S RachaelTV/TS
over a year ago

Lowestoft

"Typed a long reply but cba to post it

We need a few wheezes for men to take 8 months off and 2 days a month. What excuses can you think of?

Pissed last night

Excessive erection Unable to hide.

Woman problems

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

I haven't read the link but do they have to make the time up? If so I don't see a problem.

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By *ikeC81Man
over a year ago

harrow

I am sure the men do know what period pain feels like

a comment I have heard is that it is that time of the month that the missus looses her head

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Wish my wife and daughter were sent away during their periods. They drive me mad

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By *iamondsmiles.Woman
over a year ago

little house on the praire

"Not impressed, it's hardly doing anything for equal rights is it? Granted as the male half of us I don't know how period pains feel. But why should someone be entitled to leave work early do do something that happens normally? It's not a disability it's nature. "
but it can be a disability for many women and not because of period pain, have you ever walked round with lumps of raw liver falling out of you. Can't walk from the bath to the bedroom as blood is pouring everywhere everytime you stand up you have to look round to see if you've leaked.

Then their is the pain and mood swings on top of that. I know not all women suffer like that but I can tell you some sure as hell do.

Anyway, I think maybe they could give the staff some kind of flexible time where they have to work so many hours each month and if they took say three days of for periods they would have to make the hours up. Not just "given" days off

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By *arry247Couple
over a year ago

Wakefield

Or there again they could use it as a reason not to employ women or to pay women less as they are not capable of keeping the same hours as men

For some companies it would be the ideal excuse to get rid of women workers.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Better, I think, if more companies just worked towards more flexible working policies for all employees, for whatever reason they need it -be that childcare, caring for an older relative, periods, migraines, whatever. I'm lucky that I can work from home a few days a month, if I suffered really badly with my periods that's how I'd use those days. This seems a bit arbitrary and potentially divisive.

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By *otblondewife hornyMrCouple
over a year ago

Cambuslang

"Or there again they could use it as a reason not to employ women or to pay women less as they are not capable of keeping the same hours as men

For some companies it would be the ideal excuse to get rid of women workers."

Feminazi much?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Better, I think, if more companies just worked towards more flexible working policies for all employees, for whatever reason they need it -be that childcare, caring for an older relative, periods, migraines, whatever. I'm lucky that I can work from home a few days a month, if I suffered really badly with my periods that's how I'd use those days. This seems a bit arbitrary and potentially divisive. "

Completely agree with this. My former job in Manchester had a flexi-policy for everyone (even though it was put in place to help women pick up their children after school, etc.) and it was great for everyone and really worked well. No one abused it either and fairness wasn't an issue.

-Courtney

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If you really suffer it can be awful - and it can change too over your menstrual life cycle . Personally , I prefer working as it focuses my mind away from being in pain.

I'm assuming these ladies have to make the time up elsewhere ? And it'll be monitored so it makes good business sense. I'd prefer more flexibility in working hours generally anyway in this country - I concentrate better later in the day. We seem to still be stuck in a 9-5 - five day week. It's evolving , but taking a long flaming time !

Sarah

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By *enard ArgenteMan
over a year ago

London and France

"Wish my wife and daughter were sent away during their periods. They drive me mad

Making an official policy of it, can result in divisions between male and female staff.

The last place I worked were very enlightened regarding race, gender etc etc, but we had flexible hours working, ( you could choose your hours within the framework of your monthly hours contracted, and even carry surpluses and deficits across months within limits.

This was available to all employees ( male and female). The women appreciated this, as those who had those sorts of problems could take account of that over the weeks. They didnt want to be given time off for it, just the ability adjust their working patterns to suit.

Plus we had the ability to allow working at home, ( within certain limits) so some could choose to do some work at home if they felt able to ( but felt too shitty to face a day in the office ).

It also, of course ( for men and women) allowed other domestic things ( such as coping with " school runs", family illnesses etc.

It relied on trust ( everyone self- certified their hours), but in general we found that where we gave trust, the workforce reciprocated with productivity and loyalty.

It was a formula that maintained equality between the sexes, but allowed us to overcome and cope with " biological" issues, without it ever becoming an issue.

I should add, we didn't do " flexi time" to solve this issue; we did flexi time because it was by far the most efficient way of working; this was a happy by- product of it.

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By *isdirtygirlCouple
over a year ago

somewhere out there

Company I worked for almost 30 years ago had a period policy.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

My company just treats staff as trusted professionals. We don't clock in and out but can work flexibly. We all start and end at times which are convenient and can take time off or work from home when needed, with the understanding that time will be made up, work will be completed and when the company needs something unusual in return we all help where and when we can.

What we don't have to do is list all the different reasons why someone may need time away and then arbitrarily decide why one person's needs are more or less worthwhile than anyone else's.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Company I worked for almost 30 years ago had a period policy."

Just out of interest do people shout,

`IS JAYNE IN`

`NO SHES ON`

`sorry caller, Jayne is taking advantage of the period policy, she is quite heavy can you call back in 7 days, thank you...`

To all the women experiancing their period right now , IT WAS A JOKE, dont kill me please

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By *S RachaelTV/TS
over a year ago

Lowestoft

British Telecom (Post Office Telecommunications at the time) introduced flexible hours in about 1979/80. worked excellently and we were able to keep the office open to calls from 7.30am to 5.30pm and staff loved it.

When I started work in 1969 one of the girls was off every month, I was naive and a colleague pointed it out. I suffer from depression anxiety sometimes I should be allowed time off for it without going sick.

Seems we could go right back to the bad old leftie days of the 60s 70s and find reasons not to work for everyone

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Typed a long reply but cba to post it

We need a few wheezes for men to take 8 months off and 2 days a month. What excuses can you think of?

Pissed last night

Excessive erection Unable to hide.

Woman problems

"excessive erection"!

Hahahaha!

"why's Dave gone home?"

"oh he got a rager so had to leave"

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I have staff that do that already, it's called a sick day.

I work in a predominately female industry so would be interesting to see who would service the clients whilst we're all on our 'period days'.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If you really suffer, maybe it'd be useful - I'm not so bad, but on my first day of my period I'm so tired & in so much pain I struggle to do anything.

However - I agree about people having more flexibility in the work place regardless of gender & they should still make the hours up.

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By *andS66Couple
over a year ago

Derby

Maybe men could have the opposite.... be able to go home early because it's 'not that time of the month'. Go home early when it's not her period and she's happy.

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By *S RachaelTV/TS
over a year ago

Lowestoft

..also at BT the operators had what was called 'Whitleys'. The Whitley Commission came up with what was a reasonable number of sick days.. which was about 8 I think. So, if you wanted a day off you took a Whitley until you reached 8.

So even if a woman does not have periods who's to say they can't take a couple of days each month.

I think you could argue that this is discriminatory.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Boom.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

New age mumbo jumbo.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"New age mumbo jumbo. "

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By *ngel n tedCouple
over a year ago

maidstone

In these days of greater equality

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

As males, perhaps when we bleed for a few days and get bad stomach cramps because of it, we can then claim an equal right? Otherwise pipe down man, you'll awaken the beasts! ??

Him

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I'm not a fan. It seems terribly unfair to me. If a woman is feeling that horribly on her period that she doesn't feel she can work then I can understand being given a sick day. Making it a company policy seems over the top and I don't think it would engender great relations between male and female staff in most work environments.

-Courtney "

So I've always had agonising periods when I've not been on the pill. Like, for at least a day a month I simply cannot stand upright.

When I was a lifeguard, I would have to call in sick on these days. There was no way I could walk to work - let alone work for nine hours in a hot environment on poolside, setting up gear in the gym, or teaching children to swim.

Our council have a policy that if you had more than two sick periods (as in, grouped days of work) in six months then you had to attend a disciplinary hearing. So I spent a day every two or three months doing to hearings where I had to tell senior male staff the intricacies of how periods worked and why my health meant that I simply couldn't just take drugs to stop the pain and enable me to turn up to work.

Having 'period days' that counted as sick days would have enabled me to avoid that problem. It would have prevented wasting the time of lots of senior staff. It would have stopped them paying both me AND a member of staff to cover me on those days.

Makes sense to me.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Great excuse to skive off that's unless they ask for proof yuck!

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