Firm asks women to wear red bracelet during periods

A firm in Norway is asking female employees to wear red bracelets during their time of the month, according to a report. The unusual demand, which was apparently introduced to stop people inquiring about frequency of women’s toilet trips during their periods, was revealed in a report by a workers’ union into the country’s “tyrannical” toilet rules.

The study claims that Norwegian businesses are becoming “obsessed” with lost productivity that occurs from employees spending too long answering the call of nature. It found that 66 percent of managers require staff to ask for an electronic card before they can use the bathroom, while others asked staff to sign a toilet “visitors book” or placed their commodes under video surveillance.

“But the most extreme action was taken by one manager who made women having their period wear a red bracelet to justify more frequent trips to the loo. Women, quite justifiably, feel humiliated by being tagged in this way, so that all their colleagues are aware of this intimate detail of their private life,” the study said.

The report has now been presented to the country’s chief consumer ombudsman, Bjorn Erik Thon, but the firm in question has not been named.

“These are extreme cases of workplace monitoring, but they are real,” said Thon. “Toilet Codes relating to menstrual cycles are clear violations of privacy and is very insulting to the people concerned. I hope and believe that this is not representative of the Norwegian working life in general,” he added.