Social issues are just as much a part of our commitment as environmental ones. We are constantly working to improve our employees' experience, because they are the driving force behind Guidap's success.
Inspired by the Louis company and our Spanish neighbors who have legislated it, we decided to try out menstrual leave.
Menstrual leave is a system that allows employees to take time off work to deal with painful periods, without having to pay any deductions. Currently in France, menstrual leave is not regulated by law, and people with painful periods find themselves without a solution adapted to their disability.
Why did we do it?
We questioned the relevance of this system at Guidap when we realized that our employees were not feeling well during their periods.
To find out more, we sent out an anonymous questionnaire to the entire team. The aim was to gather general opinion about menstrual leave, its impact on productivity and the image of women in the professional context. We also wanted to find out whether our employees wanted to introduce such a scheme. We used a very short questionnaire with open-ended questions to create room for free expression, rather than collecting statistics.
The results were unanimous: the need for menstrual leave is very real, and employees shared the opinion that it would be beneficial to team productivity. In particular, our employees highlighted the problem of "how am I going to manage my tasks while I'm suffering from my period? The introduction of menstrual leave would remove some of the associated mental burden, but would also enable us to be more efficient thanks to the possibility of resting on days when productivity is down due to painful periods.
The results were presented to the management team, who unanimously adopted this societal advance within the company.
We decided to look into the subject of menstrual leave when one of our employees made us aware of it. We quickly grasped what was at stake, and it was only natural for us to go down this path, especially after seeing companies like Louis implement it.
It's true that it's not yet a common feature in companies, but I think it will be soon. No company wants to see its female employees suffer at work. Raising awareness among management teams is the key to making this system widespread.
Let's not forget that "menstrual leave" is not a vacation: no one feels like they're on vacation when they're bedridden.
- Julien, Guidap CEO
How did we set up menstrual leave?
At the time of writing, there is no legal framework for menstrual leave in France. It is therefore necessary to go through a company agreement or an internal charter as for telecommuting to set up menstrual leave.
We approached the Toulouse-based company Louis, who had already integrated the system, to benefit from their experience. We then consulted our accountant to define the administrative framework for this system: menstrual leave will appear as authorized paid absence on Guidapiennes* pay slips.
Guidap's menstrual leave policy
Length of leave
According to feedback from our employees, the problem of painful periods is particularly acute on the first day of the menstrual cycle. To meet the needs of the majority of cases, we have therefore decided to offer one day's menstrual leave per month without loss of pay and without the need for a medical certificate. As this scheme is still in its infancy, and as we are trying to manage our actions on an evolutionary basis, the number of days granted is likely to evolve as the need arises. For the time being, this general rule applies, which simplifies administrative management.
Notice periods
We understand that painful periods are impossible to predict, so we manage them as an unforeseen event. The people concerned are invited to inform their manager on the day of the absence by SMS or message via the internal channel. This enables the manager to quickly organize the team's schedule.
Documentation
Time for paperwork! We have put in place two main documents to introduce menstrual leave at Guidap: the unilateral decision, signed by management, and the consent charter, for all employees to sign.
The unilateral decision explains the nature of the intention behind this system, as well as the commitments made by the company: fairness, confidentiality, flexibility....
As for the consent charter, it sets out the company's commitments to employees as set out in the unilateral decision, and also explains how the system works.
All new employees will be required to sign the charter on hiring.
Why are we talking about it?
The introduction of menstrual leave is a bold social innovation that honors our values. We are constantly striving to improve the well-being of our employees, and offer a working environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated.
Communicating on the subject allows us to strengthen our employer brand and, we hope, inspire other companies.
We believe that co-construction creates buy-in and that, if many companies adopt the approach, it will have a better chance of becoming the future standard.
It's up to you!
In the research stage before developing our own approach, we had trouble finding sample documents to draw on, so we decided to share with you the Unilateral Decision template and the Consent Charter template to help you create your own. We'll save you a few hours of work 😉
If you're not sure whether to take the plunge and have further questions, you can send an e-mail to our Guidapienne CSR project manager, who will get back to you as soon as possible 🙂
* Guidapiens/Guidapiennes - Guidap employees 🙂
** We emphasize that Guidap does not provide legal or financial advice. We share the documents and practices adopted by our company and accept no responsibility for the application of these sources by third-party organizations.
Witnesses from our Guidapiennes
I think it's a very good initiative. I feel that there is enough trust between the employees in our company and we know that no one would abuse it. Personally, I haven't used it yet, but I know I won't hesitate if I feel the need.
As the only woman on my team, I raised the subject with my colleagues. They were really supportive and encouraged me to use menstrual leave when necessary.
- Nora
I think it's a great step forward in the world of work. It's really great that women's condition is finally being taken into account, but also being taken care of by the employer.
I don't know if I'd dare take menstrual leave right now, even though it's something I'm allowed to do. But I think this guilt will fade over time among female employees.
And like all social advances, menstrual leave will bring only positive benefits to a company's productivity.- Anne-Christine
My first experience with Guidap menstrual leave was very positive. At first, I was a little apprehensive about applying for leave in the morning.
But once the morning had passed, I realized how much I needed the rest and how much it took away from my mental load. Being able to manage my state fully was liberating.
The benevolent atmosphere of the company greatly contributed to a feeling of legitimacy, and I didn't feel any particular embarrassment even though everyone was probably aware of the reason for my absence.
This experience really made me realize how much we are conditioned by society to work through pain, when it's crucial to take care of ourselves.
But I'm still thinking: how can I assess the level of pain that justifies taking this menstrual leave?- Antoinette
Usually, my periods don't hurt much, but there are months when I'm in a lot of pain, and being productive isn't really an option.
In January 2024, I had the misfortune to experience such an episode, and I'm so grateful that Guidap offers menstrual leave!
The opportunity to spend the day taking care of myself and recuperating instead of suffering in the office enabled me to resume my assignments the next day with great enthusiasm and gratitude.
What's more, we have the option of requesting teleworking days if ever the pain is moderate, but for the sake of comfort during this period, we prefer to work from home.
I'm so proud of our team for successfully implementing this measure, it's a big step towards gender equity.- Yuliya
