interestrateripoff Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/12179486/Company-becomes-first-in-UK-to-introduce-period-policy.html A firm is believed to be the first in the UK to introduce a "period policy" to try and make what can be a monthly trauma for women a bit easier for its female staff. Coexist, a community interest company in Bristol, has a largely female workforce and plans to "tap into its employees' natural cycle to create a happier and healthier working environment". There are 24 members of staff at the Stokes Croft-based company, of which only seven are men. Bex Baxter, one of the directors at Coexist, said: "As a manager of staff I have seen women really suffer with their periods and I have found them doubled over in a lot of pain. "They feel guilty and ashamed for taking time off and often sit at their desks in silence not wanting to acknowledge it. It started from there and we thought we had to see what we could do about it and try and break the last great taboo. So to equalise this what do men get? A w4nk day? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sPinwheel Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Monthly trama? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgul Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 That's a really complicated policy. I'd say (and I'm a man, so fee free to disagree vehemently): There is a sick policy - if you're not up to working then there are already processes in place to allow non-working (I know it isn't being 'sick'...) If there is a failure it is in making period talk taboo - if there is more freedom here then women are more likely to feel okay about taking the leave on the current 'sick leave' arrangements. But their solution (applied generally) is more likely to drive divisions rather than solve any taboo. I'd predict that while a good proportion of women would be good about using it, the rest would see it purely as an allowance, and make sure they used their allowance each month, regardless of the symptoms. And a substantial fraction more would ensure that their days were always on a working day, as 'it isn't fair to loose a weekend'. This would lead to a gender divide - men would say how come women only have do to 18 days work a month, while they have to do 21. As with most things, remove the problems which get in the way of the current arrangements before inventing new solutions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knock out johnny Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 If it's true that women's menstrual cycles 'sync', then all the policy will ensure is that the office is severely understaffed once a month Unintended consequences and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thecrashingisles Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 "Put Wednesday down as time of, not time off." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Economic Exile Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 That's a really complicated policy. I'd say (and I'm a man, so fee free to disagree vehemently): There is a sick policy - if you're not up to working then there are already processes in place to allow non-working (I know it isn't being 'sick'...) If there is a failure it is in making period talk taboo - if there is more freedom here then women are more likely to feel okay about taking the leave on the current 'sick leave' arrangements. But their solution (applied generally) is more likely to drive divisions rather than solve any taboo. I'd predict that while a good proportion of women would be good about using it, the rest would see it purely as an allowance, and make sure they used their allowance each month, regardless of the symptoms. And a substantial fraction more would ensure that their days were always on a working day, as 'it isn't fair to loose a weekend'. This would lead to a gender divide - men would say how come women only have do to 18 days work a month, while they have to do 21. As with most things, remove the problems which get in the way of the current arrangements before inventing new solutions. I agree, from the perspective of a female, with what you have written. It's a ridiculous policy that, I guess, a lot of women would use to their advantage. I've known lots of people over the years who view sick leave as an allowance to be used! Personally, I used to think that females exaggerated about the severity of period pains because I never used to get any severe pains (or pms symptoms). That is until I started the menopause early in my late 30's and one of the initial changes was period pains. After that I knew how bad they could make one feel! Current sick leave arrangements are IMO adequate for the majority of period pains though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Cavey Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 I once flippantly called it bl0w job week. Literally and figuratively didn't go down too well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 A lot of people suffer with serious back pain, I fortunately don't, and that tends to be cyclical. I've seen people struggle to walk across the car park. They should also be encouraged to take sick time when in pain. I'm all for the principle of don't come in if you're unwell, which is what period pain is, but it goes down as sickness and is on your company record. I'm not fortunately recruiting staff these days but when I was then time off for whatever reason counts against you. If somebody has had twenty days off sick in the last year and the other person has had none then I know who I'm recruiting. Somebody who is crippled and off work for days every month with period pain is no more getting a job than somebody who is crippled and off work for days every month with back pain or whatever. You run a company and not a branch of the NHS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 If you have problems with your periods that cause you to be off work then you should seek medical advice. Bleeding women giving women a bad name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wherebee Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Another badly thought policy. What is the end result of this? As a manager or business owner, you now have another reason not to employ a woman. ffsake, are feminists TRYING to drive women out of the workplace? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Economic Exile Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Another badly thought policy. What is the end result of this? As a manager or business owner, you now have another reason not to employ a woman. ffsake, are feminists TRYING to drive women out of the workplace? LOL. Well, you've probably heard that saying "Be careful what you wish for"........perhaps feminists are finding that the slog of work and career's aren't all that great after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 LOL. Well, you've probably heard that saying "Be careful what you wish for"........perhaps feminists are finding that the slog of work and career's aren't all that great after all. I could have told them that! Work's ok but you don't want to spend your entire post-education life doing it non-stop until your late 60s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyguy Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 A lot of people suffer with serious back pain, I fortunately don't, and that tends to be cyclical. I've seen people struggle to walk across the car park. They should also be encouraged to take sick time when in pain. I'm all for the principle of don't come in if you're unwell, which is what period pain is, but it goes down as sickness and is on your company record. I'm not fortunately recruiting staff these days but when I was then time off for whatever reason counts against you. If somebody has had twenty days off sick in the last year and the other person has had none then I know who I'm recruiting. Somebody who is crippled and off work for days every month with period pain is no more getting a job than somebody who is crippled and off work for days every month with back pain or whatever. You run a company and not a branch of the NHS. I've used sick leave as a recruiting hurdle - if I can find out about it. Some people have the odd health struggle. No problem with that. Most people are ill for a few days a year. No problems. But .... in all companies Ive worked there's always been a very small minotry who clock up over 15 days sick a year, year in, year out. Avoid these people -they are dossers. On the comment about sick leave being treated like a right. Seen that. The local council and hopsital used to run at average of 20 days sick/year. Some people were managing 40 days sick - 20 days sick leave + sickness + could not be ar5ed days. Never recruit a sickie - and I do not mean someone who is ill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePiltdownMan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 It's hard to understand why working for "Coexist, a community interest company" would beat being a full time wife and mother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendy Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Are these women putting full-stops in the wrong places? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si1 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I was going to say it's a private company so why's it my concern. However I don't think it is. I'm not sure what it is really but I smell taxpayer's money somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riedquat Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I was going to say it's a private company so why's it my concern. However I don't think it is. I'm not sure what it is really but I smell taxpayer's money somewhere. Even if it is a private company there's always the risk of this sort of thing spreading. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I was going to say it's a private company so why's it my concern. However I don't think it is. I'm not sure what it is really but I smell taxpayer's money somewhere. Regardless of whether it's any of your or my concern, a private company is subject to a lot of sex equality law. All sexes are equal, but some sexes are more equal than others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgul Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Regardless of whether it's any of your or my concern, a private company is subject to a lot of sex equality law. All sexes are equal, but some sexes are more equal than others. This is the stupid thing. The rules are quite simple - if you're doubled over in pain there is a mechanism to allow you not to go to work but still be paid. This applies to either sex. It also applies to period pains where it is sufficiently severe. But just saying you get time off will encourage unscrupulous women to take advantage of their 'allowance'. The 'clarification' away from 'can't work' into 'period pains' makes this worse, not better. As a kind of related aside - when I started my few years working in the civil service, I was astounded to hear all the advice from the old stagers on how to wangle everything - like how to buy useless things (but useful to you) so you could after a short while 'throw them away' into the boot of your car. But the relevant one was 'make sure you use your sick-leave allowance' - you had so many days a year you could take off as 'normal' without it escalating into you being someone who was ill (and then required active management - doctor's letters, etc) - at the end of the annual accounting period (the last 8 weeks or so when they presumed they didn't need sick leave for genuine reasons) they'd all start getting slightly ill, best not to come in... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 This is the stupid thing. The rules are quite simple - if you're doubled over in pain there is a mechanism to allow you not to go to work but still be paid. This applies to either sex. It also applies to period pains where it is sufficiently severe. And as I've said it's not normal to be doubled up in pain just because your body is undergoing a natural function so medical attention should be sought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig_ Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 If you have problems with your periods that cause you to be off work then you should seek medical advice. Bleeding women giving women a bad name. Glad you said it first. Purely anecdotally, in my experience it tends to be the less healthy members of society who seem to suffer the most... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Glad you said it first. Purely anecdotally, in my experience it tends to be the less healthy members of society who seem to suffer the most... It's normally the poor saps who live with the hormonally challenged mares who suffer most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porca misèria Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 And as I've said it's not normal to be doubled up in pain just because your body is undergoing a natural function so medical attention should be sought. I don't know to what extent this is just a convenient story girls tell to chaps ... ... but I've heard more than once that a girl is on the pill because it helps turn the periods from serious pain to something much milder. First girlfriend I had who wasn't on the pill got sick (and horribly embarrassed) as I walked her home after our first date. Well, how was I to know it was unfortunately timed? But I respected her for it, and found myself taking instinctively more care in bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahBell Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I don't know to what extent this is just a convenient story girls tell to chaps ... ... but I've heard more than once that a girl is on the pill because it helps turn the periods from serious pain to something much milder. First girlfriend I had who wasn't on the pill got sick (and horribly embarrassed) as I walked her home after our first date. Well, how was I to know it was unfortunately timed? But I respected her for it, and found myself taking instinctively more care in bed. Oh indeed, the pill is a great thing for amending hormones. http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Periods-painful/Pages/Introduction.aspx Period pain is extremely common. Some studies suggest up to 90% of menstruating women experience pain and discomfort during their period. It's difficult to categorise period pain as it can affect every woman differently. But one study of more than 400 women with period pain found symptoms were moderately painful in around 20% of women, and severe in 2% of cases. In another study, up to 14% of women reported frequently being unable to go to work because of period pain. If your period pain is severe, visit your GP to check that no medical condition is causing your pain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin Allegro Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I think if I worked for a company like that, I would lose my rag, and quite possibly throw in the towel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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