Taking a big step towards equality in the workplace (in and outside the gaming industry), GOG recently announced that it has started offering menstrual leave to its employees. That means “whenever menstrual pain occurs,” affected employees may need as much off-duty time as possible to recover.
Menstrual leave will be paid in full, which GOG estimates will result in an additional day off each quarter for affected employees.
GOG is a subsidiary of Polish game developer and publisher CD Projekt, The Witcher and Cyberpunk 2077 Fame/Notorious. After the GOG announcement, I contacted CD Projekt PR Director Radek Grabowski to ask if the menstrual leave program might also be extended to the parent company, which has about 1,124 employees. He replied: “GOG is spearheading this initiative and we are working on it further for the entire CD Projekt.”
So all is well, we can see progressive policies become standardised at one of the most famous gaming companies in the world, and lead by example to get others to do the same. For now, menstrual leave is hardly ever heard of, whether in video games or other companies, and the only countries that currently have any form of national menstrual leave are Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Zambia.
(Image credit: CD Projekt RED)
The initiative to implement menstrual leave was spearheaded by GOG culture and communications manager Gabriela Siemienkowicz, who told Axios that the new policy “promotes inclusivity by accepting biological differences in the workplace… By giving these extra leaves, we acknowledge these The symptoms are real.”
Siemienkowicz added: “I can only hope that this policy demonstrates that GOG is an inclusive company that respects the individual needs of its employees, and that everyone can feel safe and appreciated here.”
