Paid day off for Organon's 9,500 employees on International Women's Day

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With growing health disparities faced by women further exacerbated by the pandemic, Organon hopes to raise awareness of the inequity in women’s health through this initiative.

Organon, a global women’s health company, is declaring a paid day off for its 9,500 employees on 8 March on the occasion of International Women's Day (IWD). 

With IWD focused on accelerating gender parity, Organon is looking to provide this paid time off this year for all employees to attend to their own health needs. With growing health disparities faced by women further exacerbated by the pandemic, it invites organisations across the globe to join in raising awareness of the inequity in women’s health and to adopt initiatives that help women prioritise their health.

The initiative stems partly from research showing that while women have worked hard to advance in the workplace, the pandemic is proving to jeopardise these hard-fought gains. Women are now significantly more burned out than ever, more so than men — which can take a huge toll on their physical and mental health. However, this is not an entirely new issue. Even prior to the pandemic, in a 2015 survey, 78% of women said they usually put their own healthcare needs, such as scheduling doctor’s appointments, aside to focus on taking care of their family and other priorities, all of which was cited in Organon's statement. 

Citing that women are finding it harder than ever to make the time to care for even their most basic health needs, Kevin Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Organon says he felt a responsibility to help address this.

He added: "This year, the symbolic action we are taking is to encourage all our people to spend this day off to make a commitment to their own health or the health of the women in their lives, whether that’s going to the doctor, taking stock of their own wellbeing or reflecting on how to make a change.”

Further citing a recent study, 44% of older women said they waited until a health symptom became urgent before scheduling an appointment – the number jumps to 62% for women aged 20-34. By introducing this paid day off, Organon is hoping to ease such plights.  

Image / 123RF

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