L&T Introduces One Day Menstrual Leave After Chairman Subrahmanyan’s 90-Hour Workweek Remark Gaffe

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Chairman SN Subrahmanyan has announced that women employees at the L&T parent group will now be entitled to one day of menstrual leave, according to a report by Livemint.

This move makes L&T one of the pioneers in the industry to introduce menstrual leave.

Photo Credit: PTI

In 2024, Odisha became the first Indian state to implement a one-day menstrual leave policy for women employed in both government and private offices.

By September 2024, reports emerged that Karnataka was considering a policy granting six days of paid menstrual leave per year for women across both public and private sectors.

The proposed legislation, titled "The Right of Women to Menstrual Leave and Free Access to Menstrual Health Products", aimed to enhance women's work-life balance by addressing the physical and emotional challenges associated with menstruation.

A government-appointed committee was tasked with developing the policy further.

Subrahmanyan's 90-Hour Workweek Remark

The introduction of menstrual leave at L&T follows Subrahmanyan's controversial comments about a 90-hour workweek. While speaking to employees, he stated that he wished he could make them work 90 hours per day, including Sundays.

"I regret that I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. If I could, I would be happier because I work on Sundays too," he remarked.

He then made a light-hearted comment about the alternatives to working on Sundays, saying, "What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can wives stare at their husbands? Come on, get to the office and start working."

Sonica Muraleedharan, L&T's Head of Human Resources for Domestic Operations, later addressed the backlash in a LinkedIn post, clarifying that the chairman's remarks had been taken out of context. She insisted that they were made in a casual manner and were not intended as a directive.