A look into the implementation of menstrual leave
The idea of introducing menstrual leave at GOG was born over a year ago during a meeting, when several employees drew attention to this common problem.
The subject of menstruation and ailments associated with it remains taboo in many places but we were one of the early adopters of menstruation-related days off.
Approximately 90% of menstruating people experience mild symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome, such as swelling, headache, and mood swings. About 20% of them complain of symptoms that prevent them from functioning on a daily basis, such as nausea, abdominal pain, back pain, and fatigue. However, even though most menstruating people share similar symptoms, employers from every country treat their needs differently.
The history of menstrual leave dates back to the 20th century. Japanese law included a record about it as early as 1947. In South Korea it appeared a little later, in 1953. In the case of Japan, the employer is obliged to grant menstruating people days off, but is not obliged to pay remuneration for the period of leave; in Korea, employees may receive additional pay if the leave is not taken.
In Europe, menstrual leave is still a taboo subject. Spain is the first and only country where the law includes a provision on menstrual leave; the regulation has only been in force since February 2023. It is also a fairly new topic here, in Poland. The first instance of menstrual leave was introduced in our country only in 2020 (it was the employer's own initiative, not dictated by the law).
Despite the fact that Polish labor law is becoming more and more similar to the Western European model, the transformation that took place in Poland at the end of the 1980s means that some employees' rights are still
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