At a previous job I received a little tidbit of advice from a co-worker: if you have a female manager in your chain-of-command, plot her menstrual cycle. He swore by it. He said that if he was asking for something, he would wait until his female boss was not “on the rag.” When I asked if this was difficult, he said it wasn’t. Apparently, his boss was really moody when she was having her period.
Earlier this year, I had started to do this with Hasna. Of course, when I learned that she was pregnant, I had to abandon my little project. But I think I will attempt it with Hasna’s boss Linda, who is filling in for Hasna. And I might just try it with Ashna, who I noticed can be a bit moody at times.
There’s not much I can offer as far as advice, except to say that most women feel the most irritable before they actually get their period (this is why it’s called pre-menstrual syndrome). And the only other clue is to see if they take their purse with them to the ladies’ room. Most modern-day ladies’ rooms at the office have tampon dispensers, but some women still prefer pads, so very often you will see women take their purses with them. Also note that women’s cycles can vary in length, especially if they are not taking birth control.
When I return to work, I’ll start keeping a log of how irritable Ashna and Linda seem to be. And I’ll note if I happen to see them enter the ladies room with purse in tow. I’ll post the results here.
Tags: menstrual cycle office
