Female employees in Norway told to wear red bracelet during their periods

A study that was conducted by a worker’s union in Norway found that some business owners and managers made humiliating demands on their female employees who take several bathroom breaks while on the clock. The study also found one situation, where a business owner invaded women’s privacy.

The report, which was conducted by Parat union, found that 66 percent of managers made female employees ask them for an electronic key card whenever they needed to use the bathroom, and in some cases, cameras were placed inside ladies room.  The report also claims that one employer asked women to sign a toilet “visitors books” to make sure that these women were indeed taking a break to use the toilet.

The study claimed that businesses were becoming obsessed with lost productivity due to employees spending too much time answering the call of nature.

The most ridiculous of all the demands came from an owner who asked women to wear a red bracelet during their periods to justify more frequent trips to the john.

Since the report came out, Norway’s chief consumer ombudsman Bjorn Erik Thon released a statement saying, “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…..we will be carrying out a full review of the rules surrounding employment and privacy over the coming year.”