S N Subrahmanyan, the L&T chairperson and managing director who made headlines for asking employees to put in 90 hours a week and not keep staring at their wives,  has now announced one-day paid menstrual leave for women staff.

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A paid menstrual leave

As per reports, the move will benefit 5,000 female employees at Larsen and Toubro. It was announced at a company event celebrating International Women's Day, reported PTI news agency.

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Exact details on how the mensural leave will be implemented are yet to be shared. However, it is known that the leave is only applicable to employees of L&T parent company and not its subsidiaries engaged in financial services or technology.

L&T said that it has 60,000 employees, of which nine per cent, or around 5,000, are women. 

India and menstrual leave

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In India, companies like Swiggy and Zomato have already announced similar mensural leaves. However, major businesses are yet to announce similar initiatives.

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Four Indian states, namely Bihar, Odisha, Sikkim, and Kerala, have already established provisions for menstrual leaves for their employees. Moreover, the Supreme Court of India last year suggested that the government itself formulate a policy for this.

What was the 90-hours a week controversy?

In January 2025, a video of an L&T video conference went viral. In it, Subrahmanyan suggested employees work 90 hours a week.

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"What do you do sitting at home? How long can you stare at your wife? How long can wives stare at their husbands? Go to the office and start working. Honestly, I am sorry that I am not able to make you work on Sundays. I will be happier if I can make you work on Sundays because I work on Sundays too," Subrahmanyan said. 

(With inputs from agencies)