Looking beyond Period Leave (recently announced by Zomato), some more leave types
Ever since Zomato announced Period Leave, there is so much deliberation everywhere sparkling a debate whether it is needed or not. People’s opinion is divided between two schools of thought. Some call it a welcome move and some find it discriminating.
Historically, sprouting of any new initiative, many a time is triggered due to some extreme behaviors prevalent in society. Over the past couple of years, there have been many changes on all fronts and we are going through one of the major disruptions now. Every new policy or process introduced has its origin to some underlying need that needs to be addressed – either to stay relevant in the changing circumstances or to bring about a radical change that is waiting to shatter the ceiling.
Even about period leave, if we reflect, as a society we have come a long way about this topic – from being a taboo to being accepted as a normal biological process; from shying away to addressing the concerns around it; from being made to sit in corners to be the reason to document in company policy manuals.
“Period Leave can be considered to have been born out of the need to address some concerns and provide a better work-life experience.”
The broader objective of introducing this policy could be wellbeing. Also to provide respite to those women who find it enormously difficult to deal with the pain month on month, to carry on routine work in extreme discomfort or to ease applying leave, without a medical certificate, which could otherwise be a colossal task every now and then. But instead, this has triggered a debate bringing the spotlight on discrimination and questioning gender neutrality at the workplace.
When the Maternity Act was revised enhancing the maternity leave from 12 weeks to 24 weeks, it was considered a historic move, much needed as it ensured better physical and mental health of mother and child. But these good intentions did not translate to have a positive outcome on the ground as there are studies that revealed women losing out of jobs because of longer maternity leave. Are we heading for something similar regarding period leave?
The various types of leave prevalent in the organization, as a part of the Employee Benefit Plan, depending on the type of the industry, size of the company, and entitlement as per law. Anything over and above that becomes ‘a special privilege’, which if practiced for a long time and adopted by many, is likely to become a norm. As of now, period leave is a ‘special privilege’ and unlikely to become a norm in the near future. Nonetheless, there is a need to have a healthy debate around the following points, which need to be addressed to negate any possible bias or misconception of any prejudice.
- Does every woman need it?
- What are the pros and cons if it is made part of sick leave?
- Can we have a differentiated sick leave quota, say by adding up a few extra days to women? After all, the number of days for maternity leave and paternity leave are not the same.
- Can managers be made more aware to appreciate the requirement of women employees taking ‘periodic’ leave?
- Can organizations create a culture to focus on results rather than creating a taboo around people taking more leave?
To address this more holistically, can organizations start thinking about other types of leaves, to keep pace with the changing environment and the need to create balance on all fronts! Some suggestions as follows:
- Care-giving leave: To take care of the family members when they are unwell or need special attention for any kind of medical emergency.
- Quarantine Leave: To stay safe during pandemic where otherwise one is vulnerable and also to isolate if self or family member is declared to be in quarantine.
- Healthcare Leave or Wellbeing Leave: With a shift to remote working there is a feeling of isolation and also restricted movement. For a couple of days, employees can be encouraged to indulge in an activity or program to de-stress and rejuvenate.
- Shared Parental Leave: The concept of sharing maternity and paternity leave is uncommon in this part of the world, but much needed. Bringing up children is the equal responsibility of both the parents and with nuclear families, it ensures that at least one parent is there for the child at any given point in time.
- Bereavement / Grieving Leave: When a close relative/acquaintance dies, to make arrangements for the final rites, performing ceremonies, to support emotional need to grieve, etc.
- Study / Exam leave Those who wish to pursue higher education or take up a formal course, for career enhancement or progression.
- Community Work Leave: Encouraging employees to indulge in responsible social work, to make a difference to the society and also as part of employee engagement. This not only attracts good talent but also keeps the existing workforce engaged and creates an overall fulfilling experience.
- Detox Leave: In the present day context, when it is difficult to imagine life without being connected, detox leave should allow employees to be away from the all-digital interface, quite literally. At least a day where they do not check emails, respond to calls, or do any work that requires them to use gadgets or screens.
- Birthday Leave: Can be taken on any day in the birth month of the employee.
- Long Service Leave: Once an employee completes about five or ten years with the organization, a couple of days of leave as a mark of recognition.
Time off is required for various reasons. (A) Organizations could explore having a ‘basket of leaves’ without any nomenclature, with differentiated leaves depending on age, gender, job role, marital status, employees with children, etc., apart from entitlements as per law(B) Also, now that we have progressed towards remote working, another option could be to view some leave types considering WFH, because sometimes the requirement gets taken care of by restricted commute or operating from home without necessitating leave.
Opting for an ideal leave policy with right combination of leaves is crucial for organizations as it can be a key differentiating factor to enhance productivity and also to communicate that wellbeing of employees is its prime focus.
