Digital Distribution platform GOG, headquartered in Poland, is now providing its employees with menstrual leave, a policy unheard of in the game industry, and even many countries.
Why it matters: It’s considered a controversial policy, one that some say respects the physical toll of menstruation but risks making employees who take advantage of the time off seem less capable.
How it works: GOG estimates an additional day off per quarter, but allows employees to take time as needed “whenever period pains occur,” culture and communication manager Gabriela Siemienkowicz told Axios.
The idea was inspired by Siemienkowicz’s own experience when she was having an especially painful period.
The big picture: Labor conditions within the video game industry are changing, from four-day workweeks to more inclusive policies like menstrual leave.
Siemienkowicz said the response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, but there’s “still much work to be done, and our efforts towards making GOG a more inclusive workplace do not end here.”
That extends outside of GOG as well.
What’s next: There’s still a great deal of work to be done in dismantling the taboo around periods and the effect on the workplace.
Sign up for the new Axios Gaming newsletter here.
