10-04-2025
Major push to grant Aussie workers extra 12-days paid leave per year: 'This is not sick leave'
Giving Australians 12-days of paid reproductive leave would help cushion the $21 billion per year productivity blow from workers pushing through, or taking leave, to deal with often unseen conditions. The Health Services Union (HSU) has renewed a push for universal reproductive health leave entitlement, which would cost $1.7 billion annually, or $140 per worker.
However, a report into the Costs and Benefits of Implementing a Universal Reproductive Health Leave Entitlement in Australia found the policy would improve mental health and workforce retention. The policy would largely benefit women, but would also cater to men undergoing vasectomies.
'Women represent half of our population, and for most, that comes with menstruation which can bring pain, as well as conditions like endometriosis, IVF, miscarriage, and menopause,' HSU national senior assistant secretary Kate Marshall
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'By rolling out a universal entitlement of 12 days a year, we will give all workers, particularly women, dignity and agency to be a part of a workforce that doesn't currently reflect our needs."
The 12 days would represent a day each month of the year.
But Marshall said: "This is not sick leave."
'Work can be extremely difficult when you are dealing with pain or reproductive conditions,' she said.
Nearly one million Australians live with endometriosis, a debilitating condition that has no cure.
Kellie Johnson was diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis in her twenties but has been living with menstrual pain since she first started getting her period.
The 41-year-old Central Coast resident told Yahoo Finance the pain was so severe that she would often throw up or lose consciousness.
Johnson said endometriosis had a huge impact on her career journey, admitting there was a time she 'never spoke' about what she was going through.
'At so many workplaces I've had, I've had to alter the way I work in some way just to try and survive,' she said.
'For example, I've had periods where my endo got really bad so I would be in hospital a lot, so I would take my laptop with me and work from hospital.
'You just worry that people will think that you're being lazy or that you're not taking your job seriously.'
Endometriosis Australia found many people were fearful of raising the issue in their workplace, with one in three passed over for a promotion due to their endometriosis, and one in six losing their jobs.
The group's research found endometriosis was costing the Australian economy $9.7 billion annually due to medical costs, absenteeism and presenteeism.
'I think when you feel like you're struggling with pain all the time, you almost feel like you have to work harder to try and prove yourself,' Johnson said.
The report, released yesterday, highlighted how prevalent the impact of reproductive illness was on the Australian workforce.
Menstrual pain affects more than 50 per cent of working women, and 74 per cent of women aged 45 to 55 reported menopause symptoms, with 17 per cent requiring extended leave.
Vasectomies and hysterectomies are also common, particularly for men and women aged 35 to 44 years.
Miscarriage affects up to one in three women, and 8 per cent of women aged 25–45 undergo IVF annually.
Workers surveyed for the report said they often used sick leave or unpaid time off, with 44 per cent taking unpaid leave when they had symptoms.
This was not out of choice but a lack of leave options.
"By rolling out a universal entitlement of 12 days a year, we will give all workers, particularly women, dignity and agency to be a part of a workforce that doesn't currently reflect our needs," Marshall said.
In 2024, the Queensland government introduced 10 days of paid reproductive leave for the state's public servants.
A concerning 68 per cent of those surveyed said they had not disclosed their condition to their manager.
HSU national secretary Lloyd Williams said reproductive needs were still "highly stigmatised".
"Workers fear discrimination for taking leave for anything relating to their reproductive organs," Williams said.
"That shouldn't be the culture we accept."
12 days of paid Reproductive Health Leave (RHL) would cost an average of $3.6 billion to implement, but would save $1.88 billion for businesses directly.
These implementation costs are small in comparison to the annual $21.3 billion cost to businesses of lost productivity from workers having to manage reproductive health in to access your portfolio
