How Feedzai Supports Mental Health / Menstruation at Work

Changing the Conversation Around Mental Health and Menstruation

On World Mental Health Day and the eve of World Menopause Day, Feedzai announced the implementation of a new Mental Health / Menstruation Leave Benefit. In the days that followed this announcement, I received questions about why we moved forward with this initiative. My question is, why wouldn’t we?

There’s a vast amount of statistical data on absenteeism during the menstrual cycle or employees that left their jobs for mental health reasons, both voluntarily and involuntarily. Here are a few notable figures:

• Between 15-25% of people with periods endure moderate to severe menstrual cramps that can affect their ability to work
• In the US, 11% of people who menstruate suffer from endometriosis, while 20% have dysmenorrhea, which are menstrual disorders that can have a dire effect on everyday life and cause worse symptoms and discomfort throughout the menstrual cycle
• Half of Gen Y and 75% of Gen Z have left roles for mental health reasons

Under this new employee benefit, those who need it will not need to provide a medical certificate or doctor’s note, nor do they need to specify why they are taking the leave. Instead, we want to foster a more inclusive and safe working environment, ensuring we meet our employees’ needs and give them the conditions they need to thrive and be successful.

We allow all employees one (1) day off per month without a salary impact for self-care when experiencing physical and mental health, menstruation, or menopause-related symptoms. When they ask for this leave, they will be given up to one day a month to use when experiencing symptoms associated with menstruation, menopause, or that impacts their mental health and impairs their ability work.  This day is an additional paid day off, but like sick leave, it is not carried forward.

We are implementing this new leave benefit because we recognize that some of our employees may be suffering from symptoms related to either their mental health, pre-menstrual syndrome, menstruation, or menopause that can impact their ability to feel well and work.

We also know these symptoms are not always easy to address with managers or superiors. It can be uncomfortable or taboo to talk about inside and outside the workplace. Above all, we want employees at Feedzai to know that we will support them should they need it.

Where Ambition Meets Opportunity

Not long ago, in this very blog, I talked about my wishes for this year. Connection, Support Systems, Understanding, Empathy, and Innovation, were the words and expressions I highlighted. All of these connect with the benefit we are now offering our employees. Mental Health / Menstruation leave helps to create the conditions they need to do their best work and ensure they can balance their work and personal life.

We have the opportunity to create change we would like to see in the world. This benefit starts the conversation about these important topics with our more than 650 employees across the globe.

By training our managers to have the conversation about mental health and menstruation needs we are taking action to remove the stigma and ensure our employees know that these topics are nothing to be ashamed of. We are raising awareness, promoting open dialogue, and a more inclusive environment.

We offered this knowing that not every employee would feel comfortable asking for this benefit even if they need it. We offered this benefit knowing that our managers may feel uncomfortable when an employee reaches out to ask for it. It was important to us that we didn’t let this discomfort get in the way of supporting our employees and normalizing these topics.

Connection, Support Systems, Understanding, Empathy, and Innovation. Our new Mental Health / Menstruation Leave Benefit ticks every box, and I couldn’t be prouder to work for a company that is brave enough to lead the way in offering this benefit.

If you’re ready to join our amazing team, check out our current openings.