L&T announces one-day paid menstrual leave for women employees

Engineering and construction giant Larsen and Tourbo (L&T) has announced a one-day paid menstrual leave for its women employees.

The announcement, made by the company’s chairman and managing director S N Subrahmanyam during an International Women’s Day event, is set to benefit approximately 5,000 women employees working at the company’s headquarters, and will not extend to its subsidiaries engaged in financial services or technology.

With a total workforce of 60,000 employees, L&T employs around 5,000 women, making up 9 per cent of its staff. This announcement comes weeks after Subrahmanyam faced criticism over remarks about employees to put in 90-hours a week and not keep staring at their wives.

While companies such as Swiggy and Zomato have previously introduced menstrual leave policies, most major business houses in India have yet to follow suit.

The Supreme Court had also suggested in 2024 that the government formulate a policy on menstrual leave. – with PTI