Cross-border commerce technology business Klasha has joined an exclusive club. The IT firm with offices in San Francisco and Lagos has a new policy allowing female employees to take time off during their menstrual cycles. This is the first time anything like this has happened to a Nigerian IT company. As part of the program, female employees at Klasha get five days of menstrual leave in addition to the yearly and sick vacations to which they are already entitled. Klasha will evaluate how well the policy is working and make any necessary adjustments to the number of vacation days awarded during the year.
Klasha made this change to better support its female employees, who make up half of the company's permanent staff. Klasha also wants to serve as an inspiration in the fight against societal stigmas and misunderstandings associated with menstruation. Klasha CEO Jess Anuna said in a press release: "Klasha understands the significance of meeting the biological needs of women and makes this a priority in everything that we do." "We don't want this to be a taboo subject since we value openness, honesty, and inclusion in our community."
However, it seems that the road to acceptance will be slow. Period leave restrictions are seen by many, including women, incorrectly as signs of biological weakness that devalue women in the workplace. Some women believe that these kinds of limitations just serve to emphasize the physical disparities between men and women, leading to more sex-based discrimination in the workplace. They worry that women will be held back in their careers if they are unable to take time off for personal reasons, since this may make them seem less committed to their jobs and less valuable to their companies than their male counterparts.
Many women in the workforce may opt-out of receiving this perk. Rather than perceiving biological diversity as a hindrance, she stressed that in Klasha, it is celebrated and safe spaces are provided for its unique characteristics. She said, "We believe that more organizations in the future will implement similar policies, which will empower women, increase workplace diversity, and have a good influence on women's career trajectories and growth."
The majority of men's adverse reactions to menstrual leave laws stem from widespread misinformation and an underestimation of the impact that monthly symptoms have on women's physical and mental health. Some people respond with pleas for additional time off so they can deal with the "pain of erections" or some other such idiocy.
Play audio
No comments