"It is unnecessary. Women have been doing this for ages, and I feel that there is no sweater machine Manufacturers need for any such policies to be brought into place," she says decisively.However, Harnidh points out that a move like this would also help those who are suffering from other invisible ailments. "Acknowledging something like periods as a legitimate reason to take a day off will hopefully cause a shift in paradigm when it comes to HR policies around invisible illnesses. Both men and women suffer from mental illnesses, people who suffer from Type A diabetes and other disorders which may not be obvious, but are legitimate reasons for not being able to work. A move like this will hopefully lead to a more humane HR policy towards such issues overall," she says.
However, there are certain aspects that one must keep in mind before implementing such a policy in their companies, according to Rajdeep Bhattacharyya, director-HR, Cipla Health, who is quick to clarify that his views are personal and don’t reflect those of his organisation."Firstly, you have to look at the nature of the enterprise. If it is a place where the physical presence of the employees is essential, like manufacturing plants, then it would be harder than if it were an IT company where the presence of the employee is not necessary for work to be done. The culture of the company is also another factor. If a company has a relatively mature HR policy, it would be easier to implement. However, if the enterprise does not have that kind of faith in its employees, then it would be somewhat difficult to employ such policies. Lastly, it depends on how critical the position of the person is in the company.
For instance, for an on-call surgeon in an ER, it would be tought to implement these policies," he explains.It all boils down to the mentality of the company executives. "Maternity leave is also something that may similarly inconvenience a company. However, there is no question about the fact that it’s necessary. Maybe in time, companies will also learn to treat periods with a similar gravity and realise that these leaves are just as essential. It boils down to the mentality of business owners," Rajdeep concludes.Someone in Romania thought hed made a fair amount of money when he sold an old typewriter for 100 euros at a flea market. He was wrong.The "typewriter" was, in fact, a German Wehrmacht Enigma I, a World War Two cipher machine, and the collector who bought it put it up for sale at the Bucharest auction house Artmark with a starting price of 9,000 euros ($10,300).