Aiming to become an improved and gender responsive organisation, a startup aspiring to be a global media conglomerate, ‘Horses Stable News’ launched an initiative called ‘Nay to Yay’ offering menstrual leave to all the members of the organisation irrespective of their gender. It has not just introduced a two-day paid menstrual leave for the women employees but has also proposed to give a day off to all the married men in the organisation to take care and support their partners in stress.
Saloni Agarwal, Co-Founder of Horses Productions Pvt. Ltd, parent company of brands such as Horses Stable and Horses Stable News says, “There’s no denial of the fact that women face severe pain and cramps during their menstrual cycle and for the female workforce it gets very arduous. The implementation of menstrual leave policy should not be termed as a gift. Our aim is to provide equal opportunities to the growth of both men and women. We’re not only taking care of the women but our empathy lies towards the married men as well who want to spend time with their wives during this stressful period. We are more than happy to implement this initiative in our company and by doing so, we wish to inspire other organisations to adopt this policy as a step towards gender inclusivity. With this initiative, I hope to break the menstrual taboo.”
This initiative allows women to take two days paid leave and offers an allowance of INR 250 to help ease through the stress during that specific time. These leaves won’t be counted as sick leaves but are specifically provided for the monthly menstrual cycle where the women might want to take leave due to their discomfort. It’s an attempt by the startup to improve the company culture on the lines of acknowledging the physical, psychological and emotional issues faced by its employees. The media house is guided by the principle of being sensitive and empathetic towards the needs of its members. The menstrual leave policy for married men in the organisation is a pioneering step towards inspiring global corporations to recognise the seriousness of the phenomenon and engineer progressive work policies for the same.
Menstruation cycle is a natural biological process, it’s not a disease or disability that people are still embarrassed to talk about. By launching a paid menstrual policy initiative, we are glad to move a step towards being morally as well as socially aware. Besides being attentive to the needs of our employees, we are motivated to work towards their better health & wellbeing in every possible manner we can. Such initiatives will ensure an environment where both men and women will perform to their maximum potential, says Prashant Agarwal, Co-Founder, Horses Productions Pvt. Ltd.
‘Nay or Yay’ is not just an initiative towards the well-being of all employees but it’s a move towards the betterment of the society and to increase the participation of women in the workforce.