VIDEO: In a first, Swyft Logistics introduces “Monthlies” – paid leaves to cater to the female menstruation cycle

For the first time in the history of Pakistan’s corporate industry, a company has taken a stand to face the stigma that lingers around menstruation. Swyft Logistics, a two-year-old tech-based logistics startup with a 30% female workforce, has introduced a period policy called “Monthlies”.

The policy allows female employees to take time off during their periods without pretending they’re sick. Monthlies is a flex-time or leave program designed explicitly with menstruation in mind featuring pre-approved 12 annual leaves.

Speaking about the policy, Muhammad Uns, the CEO of Swyft, said:

I have managed many female staff members over the years, and I have seen women at work who are bent over double because of the pain caused by their periods. Despite this, they feel they cannot go home because they do not class themselves as unwell. And this is unfair. At Swyft Logistics, we are very understanding. If someone is in pain – no matter what kind – they are encouraged to go home. But, for us, we wanted a policy in place which recognizes and allows women to take time for their body’s natural cycle without putting this under the label of illness.

Details of Swyft Logistics Monthlies

Swyft Logistic’s period policy encourages women to take time off as needed and discourages reluctance to speak openly about their bodies. The tech company has introduced the policy in a society like Pakistan to reshape the workplace conversations about bodies.

While breaking the stigma is a big part of Monthlies, another reason why Swyft Logistics introduced the policy is that productivity is affected by everything going on in your body. Research shows that female productivity flows with their menstrual cycle. Therefore, workplaces must work with that natural flow rather than against it.

Swyft is the first and only company in Pakistan to acknowledge that menstruation isn’t a state of illness; it’s an ordinary biological process. Hence, it is unfair to regard the natural occurrence as sick leave.

Individuals are now hoping that Swyft Logistic’s “Monthlies” acts as a first step in the right direction. Several people wish it forces society to realize that people are biological machines with complex processes and cycles, which isn’t something to be ashamed of.

What are your thoughts on this? Please share with us in the comment section below.