Bengaluru Startup Founder Introduces Menstrual Leave Policy, Shares Employees' Heartfelt Reactions

A Bengaluru-based startup founder has revealed why he once rejected the idea of introducing menstrual leave at his company, only to reverse that decision three years later after the business had grown stronger. Peeyush Sharma, founder of House of Creators and Viral Vichar, opened up about the journey in a LinkedIn post, admitting that financial constraints were the biggest reason the policy was initially turned down.

The discussion first took place when Sharma and his co-founders, Jatin and Radhika, were building their startup from Goa. He recalled noticing that Radhika regularly lost one or two working days each month because of severe menstrual pain, making it difficult to focus despite her efforts to continue working. Around the same time, he 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 debating whether menstrual leave should become part of the company's policies. Ultimately, they shelved the idea.

"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, as the startup expanded, the conversation resurfaced after several women employees raised the issue. A colleague named Nikita formally proposed introducing menstrual leave, prompting the leadership to revisit the decision.

Six months ago, the company rolled out a menstrual leave policy that allows employees to avail up to four menstrual leave days every year without having to justify their absence.

Despite implementing the initiative, Sharma admitted he was initially reluctant to celebrate it because he believed the policy did not go far enough.

"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 shifted after a conversation with a colleague, Shruti, who shared that a friend employed at a major technology company was surprised that a three-year-old startup had introduced menstrual leave while her own organisation still had no such provision.

Sharma also shared screenshots from the company's internal WhatsApp group, where HR representative Alaqsha informed employees that they could take up to four menstrual leave days annually with "no explanations, no awkward messages."

The policy received an overwhelmingly positive response from employees, many of whom acknowledged that while the leave could be expanded, it represented a significant and compassionate first 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 response, Sharma said he realised he had been focusing too much on the policy's limitations instead of recognising the impact it had already created.

"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.

The post has gone viral, with many describing the initiative as "inspiring" and praising the founders for leading with “effort and empathy.”