S N Subrahmanyan, the Chairman and Managing Director of Larsen & Toubro (L&T), announced that its female employees will be given one day of menstrual leave every month. The policy was announced during the International Women’s Day celebrations held at the company’s headquarters in Powai, Mumbai.
Among the 60,000 employees within L&T, the menstrual leave policy will apply to 5,000 female workers, who make up around 9% of the total workforce. The new menstrual leave policy will only apply to female employees of the parent company. As such, those working for L&T’s financial or technical subsidiaries will not be able to enjoy this new perk. It should be noted that L&T’s subsidiaries do offer flexible work arrangements like working from home, unlike the parent engineering company that is presently completely working out of office.
With its menstrual leave policy, L&T is following in the footsteps of companies like Swiggy and Zomato, which have also implemented similar policies. States like Bihar, Odisha, and Kerala have also introduced similar regulations for female government and private sector workers and students.
While undoubtedly progressive, the policy announcement is suspected by many as a way to do “damage control.” In early 2025, Subrahmanyan captured the headlines when he claimed that he wanted his employees to work 90 hours a week and be on the clock on Sundays. The chairman had also faced backlash for his controversial comment about “staring at your wife.”
After voicing such comments, Subrahmanyan’s announcement of a menstrual leave policy has led many to believe that he might be trying to salvage his reputation and prove that he is not as adverse to work- life balance as some believe him to be.
Many others have chosen to focus on the new policy’s positives despite Subrahmanyan’s previous comments. The menstrual leave policy is a very new trend in India, and for a prominent company like L&T to adopt this has been encouraging for many.
As per Naukri’s 2025 report, ‘The Unfiltered Truth,’ 34% of women in the workforce prioritize menstrual leave over other factors, including equal pay. Clearly, menstrual leave policies are here to stay and will likely gain more popularity.
L&T is still working on how the new menstrual leave policy will be implemented. Experts in the field have warned that managing leaves for such specific reasons is not easy, with potential for misuse. Many have also claimed that menstrual leaves can reinforce gender biases instead of leveling the playing field.
