Hope Lukoto, Chief Human Resources Officer, BCX

Earlier this year, South African technology firm BCX became one of the first major employers in the region to introduce Feminine Health Leave: 12 days of paid leave annually for permanent employees to attend to menstruation, menopause, and other hormone-related or reproductive health challenges. While the policy does not replace traditional sick leave, it does something more radical, it recognises that recurring, predictable, and gendered health needs are not an inconvenience to be hidden. They are part of life. And work should be designed to accommodate life, not deny it.

“Feminine Health Leave is more than a policy – it’s a statement of values,” said Hope Lukoto, Chief Human Resources Officer at BCX. “It says we believe our employees should not have to choose between their health and their work. It’s time we normalise care and recognise that inclusion is not passive; it must be practiced.” Importantly, while named Feminine Health Leave, the policy is inclusive and available to all permanent BCX employees, regardless of gender identity, who experience these health challenges.

In recent years, global conversations have increasingly linked care to economic infrastructure, from parental leave to mental health to menstruation. Yet despite decades of progress in gender representation, one domain remains largely untouched: the right to manage feminine health without stigma, secrecy, or career cost. A recent UK survey found that 45% of women have taken time off work due to menstrual symptoms, averaging nearly 5.8 days per year. However, 80% did not disclose the real reason for their leave, and 95% reported that their workplace offered no menstrual or menopause-related support[1].

The impact goes beyond physical discomfort. A study found that menstrual symptoms contribute to over 23 days of lost productivity per woman per year, primarily due to presenteeism, continuing to work despite feeling unwell[2]. These are not edge cases. They are structural gaps. And they disproportionately affect women at every level of the workforce.

Globally, only a handful of countries have legislated formal menstrual leave. Zambia allows female employees to take one day off per month, informally known as “Mother’s Day”[3]. In 2023, Spain became the first European country to introduce menstrual leave legislation, offering up to five days of medically certified leave per month[4]. Yet within corporate South Africa, such policies remain virtually unheard of.

This silence reflects a wider discomfort with naming the embodied experience of work. While maternity leave is widely accepted (albeit inconsistently implemented), few companies engage directly with the cyclical, recurring, and often disruptive symptoms associated with menstruation, menopause, or fertility journeys. The result? A professional culture where women are expected to push through, be discreet, and “not make a fuss” even when their health is compromised.

This culture of concealment can have consequences. In South Africa, menopause is still stigmatised and rarely discussed openly, even in medical settings[6]. The Women’s Report 2024 highlights that many women suffer from unpredictable cycles, prolonged bleeding, and hormonal symptoms that directly impact their ability to work. Yet, most workplaces offer little to no support. While exact figures are scarce, the emotional and physical toll is clear, and the risk of losing experienced talent is real and preventable.

There is a growing recognition that health equity and workplace performance are linked. Studies show that employees who feel seen, supported, and trusted report higher engagement, lower burnout, and longer tenure[7]. In tech, where the gender gap remains particularly stubborn, just 23% of ICT professionals in South Africa are women, according to Statistics South Africa[8], closing the inclusion gap demands structural solutions.

Feminine Health Leave is one such solution. It makes explicit what most policies leave unsaid: that dignity is productive. That inclusion must move beyond hiring targets and mentoring breakfasts to redesign the very scaffolding of work itself. And that gender-sensitive policy does not only benefit women, but also teams, retention, morale, and trust.

The move also aligns with wider ESG goals and human capital trends. Investors, analysts, and younger workers increasingly look to indicators beyond profit, such as how a company treats its people. Feminine Health Leave, in this context, becomes a visible marker of whether an organisation truly walks the talk on equity and inclusion.

What makes BCX’s approach particularly notable is that it did not wait for public pressure or legislative action. The company implemented the policy as part of a broader Employee Value Proposition (EVP) refresh, which includes:

• Enhanced paid parental leave

• A revamped referral programme targeting mid- to seniorlevel Hiring

• New employee wellbeing measures

Feminine Health Leave, however, has emerged as a symbolic and strategic centre-piece, precisely because it addresses a need that is widely felt but rarely named. It also challenges the idea that professionalism requires neutrality. As Lukoto put it, the policy “normalises care”. It acknowledges that employees do not show up to work as floating brains detached from their bodies. They arrive as whole people – sometimes in pain, sometimes managing medication or menopause, sometimes juggling fertility treatments while trying to close a deal. Creating space for that reality is not just compassionate – it is forward-thinking.

As South Africa leads the G20 Presidency, with feminist economic policy, unpaid care work, and inclusive labour systems on the agenda, BCX’s move signals what progressive leadership can look like at the company level. Care is no longer a private issue. It is a public infrastructure concern, one that businesses cannot afford to ignore. The future of work will be shaped not only by artificial intelligence and automation, but by how organisations choose to design for humanity. That includes policies that account for gendered health experiences, flexible work, trauma responsiveness, and wellness in all its dimensions. These are not “nice-to-haves” for women. They are core enablers of performance, loyalty, and innovation.

What BCX has introduced may seem simple – a few days of leave, labelled clearly and offered with trust. But in a world that still treats women’s health as taboo, it is quietly revolutionary. It sets a precedent for what is possible when companies lead through care, not compliance. And it invites others in the ICT sector to stop asking how to retain women, and start asking what kind of workplace women are being asked to stay in.

  References

[1] Bloody Good Period. (2022). The Bloody Honest Report: Periods, Pain and the Workplace.

[2] Schoep, M.E. et al. (2019). Productivity loss due to menstruation-related symptoms. BMJ Open, 9(6).

[3] Ministry of Labour, Zambia. (2008). Employment Code Act.

[4] Government of Spain. (2023). Royal Decree on Menstrual Leave Implementation.

[5] UK Government Equalities Office. (2022). Menopause and the Workplace: How to enable fulfilling working lives.

[6] South African Board for People Practices & Stellenbosch Business School. (2024). Women’s Report 2024: Menopause and the Workplace. SABPP Publications.

[7] Deloitte. (2021). Women @ Work: A Global Outlook.

[8] Statistics South Africa. (2023). Quarterly Labour Force Survey: ICT Sector Report.

Our most important customer, is yours.

www.bcx.co.za