Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan on Thursday announced that women employees will now be eligible for one day of menstrual leave. This announcement was made at the company's Women's Day celebration, which was attended by nearly 350 women employees.
There are about 5,000 women employees (of total 60,000 workforce) and this will benefit them, sources said. Also, this one-day menstrual leave policy is said to be the first-of-its kind in the engineering and construction sector.
Sources added that it will be implemented soon. This announcement comes months after Subrahmanyan's 90-hour work week comment drew severe criticism.
Meanwhile, ahead of International Women's Day, Naukri released a report that says 34% of women professionals prioritise menstrual leave policies over everything else. Nearly half of early-career professionals consider menstrual leave non-negotiable with 20% in Bengaluru leading the demand, followed by Mumbai (13%).
It says though companies such as Zomato and Swiggy have pioneered menstrual leave policies, 75% of women professionals report their workplaces did not support it.
Sumeet Singh, Group CMO, Infoedge said, "From menstrual leave becoming a top priority to the evolving expectations from leadership, the insights challenge some common assumptions. These findings present an opportunity for organisations to create a more inclusive environment that responds to women's actual priorities.”
Last year, a report submitted to the Karnataka government by a panel recommended menstrual leave and in November 2024, the government sought feedback on the proposed 6-day paid menstrual leave.
Spain became the first European country to approve a nationwide menstrual leave policy in 2023. The country offers three paid days off per month for women professionals.