As a feminist youth organisation committed to sexual reproductive health and justice, as well as to care and holistic development, for us at Haiyya having the menstrual policy in place seemed like a significant milestone to have. Last year we decided to start developing this care & empathy-based policy to cater to the diverse needs and identities of the team.
Conversations around the menstrual policy in the ecosystem are polarized. Despite narratives that such policies stigmatize menstruation, our position was clear that menstrual policies are necessary to provide care, equity and justice.
The next question was to make it all-inclusive such that it caters to all identities and needs.
<aside> <img src="/icons/forward_red.svg" alt="/icons/forward_red.svg" width="40px" /> We asked ourselves questions like: How do we ensure folks of all gender are included? What challenges do non-cis folx face, and how do we account for that? How do we account for health issues such as PCOS, and endometriosis? What do we know about these conditions that can be accounted for in an all-rounded policy, and what can be flexible to the condition itself? What accommodations do menopausal/ peri-menopausal women need?
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In the process of developing the policy, we realised our boundaries and limitations as a single entity to not be able to create something that can adhere to all needs and conditions. We can only make it as inclusive and intersectional as a young, growing organization can.
<aside> 📌 Below are some of the questions that we asked ourselves and might be significant for you to ponder over when you are creating a policy of this nature.
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If you’re thinking of this question, it’s a step forward, as one of the most basic questions to be thought of while creating policies for an efficiently functioning organization.
It is a known fact that menstruation can pose physical, mental, and emotional challenges for menstruators to engage in regular activities in the office. Not only that, there are a variety of health conditions around menstruation, including but not limited to PCOS, menstruation, gender dysphoria, peri-menopause and menopause, and the various forms of care that may be needed for these.
Menstruation is only natural and creating a policy will offer menstruators care, allowing people to work and thrive better as they’ll have the time and support to listen to their bodies.
It’s important to define menstruators and move beyond the traditional aspects of menstruation accommodating only cis-women.
When we created our policy, in terms of applicability, it was important to explicitly state that this is a gender-neutral policy. It was written with the intention to move away from the singular, cis-heteronormative traditional way of looking at menstruation. We further emphasised that this policy applies to all menstruators including cis women, trans persons, and non-binary folks.
Tip: Regardless of the gender diversity in your team, consider creating a gender-neutral menstrual policy that is forward-looking and sustainable.
Some time off, of course!
Usually, the primary form of organizational care that is given is a break or time off to the menstruating employee. In our policy, all menstruators of Haiyya are entitled to 1 day leave per month while they are menstruating. This is over and above the emergency, sick leaves and medical leaves offered to our team.
However, more often than not, this might not be enough for menstruating folks to rest and take care of their bodies. There might be cases of important meetings, calls or deadlines where the staff would not want to take an off day.
So, as a growing organization with limited resources, we provide the option of availing flexible work hours for 3-5 days, where the menstruating employee can work on their own terms in DND mode.
Tip: When designing a policy, consider other aspects of flexible work, beyond giving time-off, such that it allows the employee to work as per their level of comfort during menstruation.
As the lockdown restrictions have relaxed, organizations have resumed working from their offices. Currently, we are operating as a remote setup, with a few team members working from Haiyya’s Head Office in Delhi.
While working from home with flexible working hours it’s easy for one to step away from their devices to take rest when needed. However, the same can’t be done while they are in office.
Keeping this in mind, it’s ideal to provide workplace care to accommodate their needs.
Tip: Have some designated space to rest, and having menstrual products in place (painkillers, sanitary napkins, etc), and access to bins for disposal of period products.
It’s imperative to consider additional layers of discrimination and challenges that can be faced by people who are systemically and intersectionally marginalised and underserved on the basis of caste, class and ability.
In Haiyya, in accordance with our wage policy, we also provide a certain budget to the entry-level staff of the Associate band to purchase menstrual care products, as we are in a remote set-up.
Tip: If your organizational budget and scale permits, factor in a certain cost to reimburse menstrual care products for employees
