Menstrual leave: what Europe calls a revolution, Asia calls an every-day reality. Meet Emily (SHOPLINE, one of the hottest Hong Kong startups) that manages this kind of leave in Asia.
Three days off monthly for having a painful period? This is what may become possible in Italy, as the country has just proposed a bill putting menstrual leave into practice. Italy is the first European country to submit the new kind of leave management, and the first one to start a hot dispute on its pros and cons and legitimacy on The Old Continent. When Europe may call it a revolution in leave management, Asia may serve as an example in this matter.
How to manage a menstrual leave? Our Hong Kong customer explains.
Calamari operates in 6 continents and more than 55 countries, so we decided to reach for our resources and help you to get ready to adapt for different kinds of leaves. Emily from SHOPLINE, the easiest, DIY eCommerce solution in Asia, already accepts and manages menstrual leave in Taiwan.
You run your business in many countries. In which ones the menstrual leave is required by law?
My country is Taiwan. There are many types of leave required by law, menstrual leave is just one of them. We have to be prepared for the absence of our employees when they get married, get injured or sick, or when they go through “personal matters”.
Could you describe the “menstrual leave” policy?
The menstrual leave required by law is 1 day per month with half pay, maximum 3 days per year. Any number of days exceeding 3 days is counted as sick leave, which is also half pay.
For how long that kind of policy works in your institution?
Since we started using Calamari almost a year ago, it helped us to identify any types of leave we may need in our organization and smoothly adapt to it. The whole leave management process is under our control!
How many female employees do you hire in your organization?
I think roughly 50%.
What is the feedback from female employees? Do they enjoy this policy? Do they use it?
Yes, they use it. But to be honest, our female employees only use it if they really don’t feel good during the time they have their period. Most people feel just fine so they come to work normally.
What is your personal opinion about this policy?
In my opinion, it is a good policy. There are girls who really don’t feel good when they have their period, it’s natural. Three days off a year is a fair policy and it works just fine in our company. As I said, our female employees don’t overuse their right to take a menstrual leave, so I would not call that bill a revolution at all.
Running an international company? Get ready for different types of leaves.
Voting leave, driver’s license leave, birth leave… like it or not, but you and your company have to be ready for different types of leave required by your country, and by all countries where your employees are based. It’s a really important issue to remember about in the time of globalization and the growing popularity of remote work.
As long as your country requires you to offer standard types of leave to your employees, everything goes well. But what if your country passes the menstrual leave bill, or will accept “congratulations leave” as they practice in Japan? Or maybe the policy of your country will take the example of Sweden, where your employee may apply for up to 6 months of leave to start his/her own business?!
Leave policies may change with each election and you should be prepared for that. How? Ask yourself:
- Is your company, and the leave management system that you use to manage your team, ready for changes?
- Can you add new options and remove the old ones with ease?
- How long will it take you to apply the new rule?
- How flexible your software is? Does it offer ONLY default features?
- Can you modify the system on your own, or you need a programmer or external help?
Remember about those questions when choosing the best leave management system for your team. Team management software should meet your needs, should solve your problems fast, and not generate the new ones. When you build an agile environment for a fast-growing business, online software has to keep up. Calamari knows it and offers an innovative and customizable solution. Try it for free and let us know how you like us! :)
