This year, Spain was the first European country to introduce paid menstrual leave – which sparked a lot of debate and controversy around whether such policies might be misused, or even work against women by reinforcing negative gender stereotypes.

Meanwhile, countries like Indonesia, Taiwan and Zambia have been early adoptees of a menstrual leave policy, with Japan first introducing the labour law in 1947. So, what is holding back the UK from implementing similar labour rights, and how can HR squash these concerns and introduce a successful menstrual leave policy?

Here, we examine some of the questions that UK employers may have around menstrual leave and bust three key myths around its impact on the workplace.

Myth: People will use menstrual leave to extend their annual leave

Employers must trust their employees not to take advantage of sick leave, and only use it as and when needed, and menstrual leave should be no different. Believing that staff will only redeem their menstrual leave allowance if necessary is fundamental to a healthy company culture and successful business.

In fact, we know that employees often feel guilty about taking sick leave and will work through anything from a stomach-ache to a migraine – so the same will likely be true for people experiencing menstrual symptoms.

It’s up to HR to ensure that time off work is being correctly used and logged, but having processes in place that cater to the recurring mental and physical symptoms that affect approximately half of employees will benefit the workforce as a whole.

Myth: The whole office will know when someone is on their period

In the same way that UK employees are able to call in sick without needing to provide details to the whole office, people with periods must be able to take the day off and have that personal and sensitive information kept confidential.

The benefit of logging time off work on an online platform is that employees can easily and discreetly claim their menstrual leave to HR through a simple click-through process and avoid having to explain symptoms in writing.

As well as helping to create a fairer workplace by ensuring that all those who experience severe period symptoms feel empowered to take leave (without the worry of not being paid), – introducing menstrual leave also contributes to normalising and destigmatising menstruation at work and society at large.

Myth: Productivity will suffer if women are always taking time off for their periods

It’s well-known and widely accepted that taking time off to rest when an employee is unwell is critical to a swift recovery, and in the long-term means improved health and productivity.

Following this same logic, people who menstruate will be overall more productive if they can take time off if their PMS symptoms are negatively impacting their ability to work, and feel supported by their employer to do so.

The truth is, anyone who experiences severe side effects related to their period is unlikely to feel productive on those days anyways, so employers would be best off allowing people to take that time off. Forcing people to work when they are in pain or feel run down will only increase feelings of stress and workplace dissatisfaction.

Menstruation has become far less taboo over the years, but mentalities around period symptoms still have a long way to go – notably in the workplace. HR teams can do their bit to create a fairer and more inclusive workplace by introducing menstrual leave policies. If time off management is done through an online platform, employee confidentiality is protected and HR can easily monitor how menstrual leave is being used. As menstrual leave is not required by law in the UK, businesses that introduce menstrual leave will gain a competitive advantage and likely see a positive return on investment, via improved productivity, workplace satisfaction, as well as improved talent retention and attraction.