Kolkata/IBNS: On the International Women’s Day, Viacon Marketing and Technologies announced menstrual leave to its women and trans women employees.

Upon recognising that empowering women goes beyond acknowledging their achievements, the company wants to create an environment that fosters their physical and mental well-being. It also demonstrates the company’s deeper understanding and support for their health and well-being #periodtoperiod.

The policy is intended to remove the stigma and provide female and trans women employees with a safe and respectful space to thrive. The policy stipulates that menstruators will be granted a maximum of 12 menstrual leaves annually, with one leave each month. These leaves cannot be carried forward, encased, or swapped with other leaves and will lapse at the end of each month.

Menstruators can avail themselves of these leaves without having to provide any medical certificate through the usual leave application process as per the company procedures.

The addition of this program to trans women shows the company’s dedication to diversity and fostering a work-friendly environment for all. Presently, Viacon has 29 female employees, but none identify as trans women.

“As a startup, we wanted to be progressive in our handling of issues like menstruation. With a greater number of women than ever before in the workforce, we wanted to create a liberal culture,” stated Ejaz Ahmed, Chief Operating Officer, Viacon.

“One that understands that menstruation affects the well-being and productivity of women. Menstrual leave of one day a month, as well as access to hygienic and wellness supplies in the workspace, will certainly bring women closer to a happier workplace. We hope that this would set a positive precedent for other businesses,” he further explained.

“Empowering women isn’t just about celebrating their achievements; it’s also about creating an environment that fosters their physical and mental well-being. On this Women’s Day, Viacon Marketing And Technologies is proud to implement menstrual policies for our female team members, creating a safe and respectful space for them to thrive. The idea behind implementing the period policy is to ensure that female employees are comforted during their period cycle and don’t have to struggle in commuting to and from their homes to the workspace,” said Mashum Mollah, Chief Executive Officer, Viacon.