The Rise of Menstrual Leave and Female Leadership in Management: TOP 5 Trends From The World Of Work

The future of work is rapidly shifting, and with it, changes in management. The demographics of business have long been changing, and the male-dominated model is overdue for an overhaul.

What else matters this week?

Gas prices soar as Russia cuts supply to Poland and Bulgaria.

Inside Nestle’s Ukrainian playbook: reorganized operations in the country and adjusted supply chains.

Twitter’s board has accepted Elon Musk’s offer to buy the social media platform.

Building a successful business, an hour a day.

11 metaverse jobs that will exist by 2030.

We’ve got a full breakdown of all the top headlines you can’t miss this week.

The world of business has long been made for men, starting with the most seemingly trivial details: office temperature. The problems only begin there but you can witness the consequences across any office: women shivering, sitting with blankets, while men stretch out in T-shirts.
“It’s a powerful metaphor for our organisations,” says Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, chief executive of gender balance consultancy 20-first. “We organise around what suits men and their competitive advantages, and they have no idea it’s masculine. They just think it’s normal.”
It’s a small reflection of the larger truth: women have left a small imprint on the “official” theory and practice of management. Read more on the Financial Times.

Thirty years ago, just 20% of resources within an organization were dedicated to projects. Today, though, that ratio has flipped. Despite the growing trend, most organizations still do not have one senior leader overseeing and supervising project activities. A Chief Project Officer (CPO) could help fill the voice with direct sponsorships over projects. Read more at Harvard Business Review.

“The Helix” is officially a go. Amazon’s second headquarters, located in Arlington, Virginia, can be built, lawmakers said this week. The project will comprise 2.8 million square feet of office space across three 22-story buildings. The focal point: a helix-shaped building, a tree-covered office with "two walkable paths of landscaped terrain that will spiral up the outside of the building," Amazon said. Read more Axios.

In early 2020, Jessie, a 28-year-old editor in New York City, fainted at work. They knew their period would start soon, and they knew they might experience painful symptoms – but they couldn’t stay at home because their team was short-staffed.

Once Jessie began feeling intense pain, they took an ibuprofen and got back to work. But within 15 minutes, Jessie was blacking out.

“I was blacking out,” says Jessie. “Everything was blurry, and I couldn’t really respond.”
All Jessie wanted to do was go home to rest. But Jessie didn’t have sick days to take time off. If they did have employer-sponsored entitlement, they might feel more comfortable taking time off.

Enter: “menstrual leave.”

Menstrual leave does exist at some companies. Workers who experience painful menstrual or menopause symptoms to work remotely. At some companies, these employees can take a set number of paid-leave days every year on top of their sick leave or paid vacation time.

In fact, menstrual leave has existed around the world for centuries. The Soviet Union, for example, introduced it as a national policy in 1922. Japan followed in 1947. Now, a growing movement is asking more companies to introduce this benefit.

If introduced, women, transgender and non-binary workers who menstruate would have the option to take rest when they need it – an work when they feel more productive. It could help more workers stay in the labour market, too. Read more at the BBC.

Climate change puts 4% of the global GDP at risk y 2050, a new study estimates. Many poorer parts of the world will be hit disproportionately hard, too. The impact of rising sea levels, regular heat waves, droughts and storms will lead to losses for both richer and poorer countries according to ratings firm S&P Global.

"To different degrees, this is an issue for the world," said S&P's top government credit analyst, Roberto Sifon-Arevalo. "One thing that really jumps out is the need for international support for many of these (poorer) parts of the world.” Read more at Reuters.