Grupo MOL celebrates 1 year of adopting menstrual leave – 03/29/2024 – Equilíbrio

In the month of Women’s Day, Grupo MOL completes one year of a pioneering initiative that marked the successful adoption of menstrual leave among its employees.

In one year, the company, located in the west zone of São Paulo and which is 89% made up of women, recorded 33 requested leaves of absence – around three per month –, 22 of which were part-time leaves, eight full-day leaves and three two full days. There were 17 (34.6%) of the 49 employees who made the request.

“We were inspired by Spanish legislation [adotada em 16 de fevereiro de 2023] and we adapted it to the reality of MOL. We researched what legislation was like in other countries and saw stories of workers in the East who didn’t feel comfortable using menstrual leave for fear of judgment when the boss and team were made up of men”, says the journalist and CEO of MOL, Roberta Faria.

The strategy used in the group, which houses MOL Impacto and Instituto MOL, responsible for donating R$72 million to social actions or causes (Graac, for example) since 2008, was to try to be as simple as possible.

“The license was not used because of bureaucratic processes, such as presenting a medical report or certificate, and the fact that employers and employees were not aware of such guarantees in the country”, says the social entrepreneur.

According to Roberta, the team already practiced this type of work informally and, when a professional told the manager that she was unwell, she was allowed to go home.

“When the legislation was approved in Spain, we were impressed because we had never imagined that this could be a formalized policy here. So this made us think about what the implementation process would be like (number of days, internal adherence control, etc.) and led us to have unanimous approval among all partners to implement menstrual leave on Women’s Day, in 2023.”

Data from a survey carried out by the tampon brand Semper Livre, in partnership with the Kyra and Mosaiclab institutes, showed in 2021 that 51% of Brazilian women aged 14 to 45 stated that menstruation discomfort is severe.

According to Victoria De Castro, 28, biologist and professor at the State University of Rio Grande do Sul, this discomfort requires care and any advance in supporting women with menstrual issues is valid.

“These are very good initiatives. And, whenever there is an advance, we have to worry about ensuring that it is maintained and work to make it universal,” she says, who is also co-founder of Herself Educacional and a menstrual educator since 2015 .

For Victoria, as much as having legislation focused on menstrual issues, Brazil needs to ensure that everyone has access to education about menstruation and combat menstrual poverty. She says that very strong cramps require care and attention, as they can hide or be associated with other problems, such as abdominal pain, migraines and endometriosis.

The adoption of the benefit, explains Roberta, allowed greater synergy between the teams and, in the end, the activities began to be distributed without overloading anyone — MOL is responsible for publications such as Sorria magazine and books and games sold at Petz, for example.

Furthermore, the license contributed to breaking the belief that women who live and work together synchronize their menstruation on the same days or weeks, something that medicine, as Drauzio Varella, doctor and columnist for Sheetproved to be nothing more than a myth.

Just as MOL innovated with menstrual leave, a company from Mato Grosso also did so in 2023, with the difference that it implemented the benefit gradually (by sectors). And reports of the good experience in São Paulo led other companies to consult MOL, such as Phomenta, which also implemented an absence policy this year that covers menstrual pain.

In the public sphere, the one who tried to take the lead was the Federal District, which since March 6th has had Complementary Law 1,032/2024, approved by the Legislative Chamber, which grants the right to work leave of up to three days for public employees in menstrual period — around 18% of employees there are women.

The benefit, however, is only granted after being certified by an occupational or occupational doctor. The law, authored by district deputy Max Maciel (PSOL), however, was not well received by the Ibaneis Rocha government (MDB), which states that it will appeal to the STF (Federal Supreme Court) not to apply it.

In the Chamber of Deputies, a similar project, by Jandira Feghali (PCdoB-RJ), awaits greater attention from parliamentarians.

Both in the DF and in the Chamber, the arguments for implementing the benefit consider that 15% of women suffer severe discomfort with menstruation that affects their routine.

That was how it was with designer Clara Rezende, 25. “I feel very strong pain, especially on the first day. Even taking medication, it doesn’t go away. It’s difficult to even think about it. It’s a situation in my body that I can’t control. Before entering the MOL and having this license, I suffered during my internship and in previous jobs because I didn’t have the freedom or permission to be absent, there were judgments and embarrassment”, says the professional.

She says she has already taken part-time leave twice in one year and that the benefit helped her produce more the day after taking leave. “Before, I felt unwell for two days. Now, with half-day rest on the first day, the symptoms are greatly relieved and the next day I feel much better.”

According to her, the leave made the team happier and surprises friends she talks to. “I say, especially to my mother and sister, that one day the time will come for them to enjoy this.”

And anyone who thinks that the license is only good for female employees is mistaken. “Menstrual leave is a benefit with a low implementation cost. Of all the actions we have already taken, this is by far the one that brought the most recognition and benefits to the MOL Group”, says Roberta, who, alongside Rodrigo Pipponzi, won the Social Entrepreneur Award and Reader’s Choice in 2018.

Public authorities need to learn this.