Bengaluru founder shares employees' heartfelt reactions to menstrual leave policy

Peeyush Sharma shared how his Bengaluru startup introduced menstrual leave after initially rejecting the idea. Employee messages showed the policy, though limited, made many feel seen and supported.Bengaluru founder shares employees' heartfelt reactions to menstrual leave policy (Photo: Peeyush Sharma/LinkedIn) A Bengaluru-based startup founder has explained why he initially rejected the idea of introducing a menstrual leave policy, only to implement it three years later after the company had grown.Peeyush Sharma, founder of House of Creators and Viral Vichar, shared that the idea first came up when he and his co-founders, Jatin and Radhika, had just begun building their startup while living in Goa.In a post on LinkedIn, Peeyush recalled noticing that Radhika would lose one or two days every month because of severe menstrual pain, affecting her concentration and productivity, although she often pushed through. Around the same time, he also observed that Jatin would take sick leave whenever he had a fever."If someone has a fever, we call it sickness and provide sick leave. But women dealing with severe menstrual pain often don't get that same understanding. The policy was different. The biology is the same," Peeyush said. The founders spent nearly two hours discussing whether to introduce a menstrual leave policy. In the end, they decided against it."We can't afford it," Peeyush said was their conclusion at the time, adding: "We had just started building a company, and every new policy came with an operational cost we weren't ready to take on." Three years later, after the company had grown, several women employees raised the issue again, with a colleague named Nikita formally proposing the policy.The company introduced a menstrual leave policy six months ago, allowing employees to take up to four menstrual leave days a year without having to provide an explanation.Peeyush admitted, however, that he wasn't entirely satisfied with the policy."We know four leaves in a year - that is, one per quarter - for monthly menstrual activity is not enough," he wrote. "I never shared it because I felt it was only halfway done."His perspective changed after speaking with a colleague named Shruti, who told him that a friend working at a large technology company was surprised that a three-year-old startup offered menstrual leave while her employer did not.Peeyush also shared screenshots of messages from the company's internal WhatsApp group after the policy was rolled out. HR representative Alaqsha announced that employees could avail up to four menstrual leave days annually with "no explanations, no awkward messages."The announcement was met with an overwhelmingly positive response from employees, many of whom acknowledged that while the policy could be expanded, it was still a meaningful step."In my ten years of experience in startups, Indian companies and MNCs, I'd never come across a company that offered this kind of leave," one employee wrote.Another commented, "I think anyone's first thought would be that four days aren't enough. But I'd like to look beyond that and give credit for coming up with the policy in the first place. Great start.""It absolutely matches the culture that we have at HoC. I am smiling," another employee wrote.Reflecting on the feedback, Peeyush Sharma said he realised he had been focusing more on what the policy lacked than on what it already meant to the people it was designed to support."I'm not sharing this because we've solved the problem. I'm sharing it because sometimes even a small policy can make someone feel seen. And that's a good place to start," he said.Several professionals called the initiative "inspiring" and applauded the founders for leading with "effort and empathy," with one user thanking the company for "paving the way for millions of other companies to learn."- EndsPublished On: Aug 3, 2026 18:22 IST