- A woman resigned after her manager told her to increase pain tolerance for menstrual leave
- She took sick leave for severe cramps and dizziness for three months with medical proof
- Manager compared her to his wife and dismissed her pain as something to overcome
A woman has resigned from her job after her manager reportedly told her to "increase her pain tolerance" after she took leave for severe menstrual cramps. The incident, which gained viral attention on Reddit's r/IndianWorkplace forum, highlighted a toxic exchange where the manager dismissed her menstrual pain and compared her situation with that of his wife.
As per the post, the employee had taken one sick leave per month for three consecutive months due to debilitating pain and dizziness. Despite her providing clear medical reasons in her emails, the manager called her into his office and stated, "Even my wife gets periods, but she works." When she explained that pain tolerance varies by person, he responded by telling her she should simply increase hers.
"This guy calls me in the office and asks me about the leaves, even though the reason was clearly mentioned in the emails. His next statement was, Even my wife gets periods, but she works. I told him everyone has a different pain tolerance, and I took leave because the pain made me dizzy, to which he dared to say, "Then increase your pain tolerance. " I mean, are you f***ing kidding me?" the woman wrote in the post.
See the post here:
he said "Increase your pain tolerance."
byu/Appropriate-Panic936 inIndianWorkplace
"Extremely unprofessional"
The post sparked a lively discussion on Reddit, with many users expressing concern over the scrutiny of the woman's medical leave. Several users pointed out that menstrual pain can be debilitating and varies greatly from person to person, and that managers shouldn't be comparing or dismissing employees' experiences.
Reacting to the post, one user wrote, "Next time he raises the topic - give him a detailed analysis of different kinds of flow, pain tolerance on the scale of 10, and how it relates to pain faced by men (like being punched). Don't feel shy and be as graphic as you can."
Another commented, "If this is a decent-sized organization, OP can register a PoSH complaint over this guy's personal remarks."
A third said, "You can't say that to a woman coworker in the office. This is extremely unprofessional. Imo HR should've been notified because it's not your manager's business to talk about such personal stuff with you."
In a follow-up post, the woman said that she resigned shortly after the encounter. She later alleged that the manager, who works for his father's company, intended to deduct the cost of a work-related course from her final settlement.
