Following GOG’s example, CD Projekt is reportedly considering introducing paid menstrual leave for its employees.
Recognizing the period of impact that pain has on some employees, GOG said at the time of the announcement that the “experimental” leave “breaks taboos” and is “another step towards making GOG an even more inclusive workplace”, but it it will not stop its “continuous efforts to learn, reflect and improve on how we can do better for all our team members”.
When the initiative was announced in early April, not everyone was convinced of the sincerity of the announcement, but Axios confirms that the scheme was introduced following the personal experience of GOG’s own team.
“Menstrual leave promotes inclusiveness by accepting that there are biological differences in the workplace. By giving additional days off to those who experience menstrual cramps, we recognize that these symptoms are real,” the company said on LinkedIn.
“Breaking taboos can only happen by saying no and turning an awkward topic into a normal conversation. Implementing menstrual leave is another step towards making GOG an even more inclusive workplace, and we will not stop in our continuous efforts. to learn, reflect and improve on how we can do better for all our team members. ”
The leave is for “when menstrual pain occurs” and will be paid in full, with the company estimating that staff with painful periods will hold an additional one day per quarter.
PC Gamer contacted GOG’s parent company, CD Projekt – which employs over 1000 people – to ask if other companies in the company’s network would try the scheme in the same way. According to CD Projekt PR director Radek Grabowski, “GOG is at the forefront of this initiative, and we are taking a closer look at it for the entire CD Projekt”.
It is one of a series of new initiatives in the gaming industry aimed at improving the support, well-being and retention of its employees, such as Bandai Namco Mobile’s fully paid four-day work week trial, and Guerrilla Games chooses to postpone the release of Horizon Forbidden West to partly to prevent its employees from having to crunch.