Online food delivery platform Swiggy has introduced a monthly period time-off policy for its female delivery partners. "Discomfort from being out and about on the road while menstruating is probably one of the most underreported reasons why many women don't consider delivery to be a viable gig," Mihir Shah, Vice President of Operations at Swiggy, said in a blog post Thursday. "To support them through any menstruation related challenges, we've introduced a no-questions-asked, two-day paid monthly period time-off policy for all our regular female delivery partners," he revealed.
Swiggy's women delivery partners can opt for two days of paid time-off every month. Those who opt for the monthly paid time-off will receive a minimum earnings guarantee.
Swiggy said it onboarded its first female delivery partner in 2016 and has, since then, been committed to increasing the number of women delivery partners in its workforce. In its blog post, the company outlined some of its recent efforts to create an environment that would encourage more women to look upon delivering with Swiggy as a viable option.
On social media, reactions to the announcement were largely positive.
Besides their period time-off policy, Swiggy is also working with electric mobility partners to facilitate EV cycles and bikes on rent to help women who don't have access to vehicles.
Other initiatives include access to hygienic restrooms and implementing safety measures for female delivery partners. Partners will have an SOS service is available on the Delivery Partner App that will connect them to the Swiggy helpline or the local police, or an ambulance service in case of a medical emergency.
Swiggy has also partnered with Shell to provide delivery partners access to restrooms across all their petrol stations in the country.
