Most employees wouldn’t say no to extra breaks during the workday. But what if the break was specifically meant for self-relief?

At Erika Lust Films, employees get 30 minutes every day for this purpose. The company, which creates content for independent adult cinema, made this an official policy in May 2022 after a successful trial.

Erika Lust, the company’s founder from Stockholm, Sweden, manages a team of over 40 people. She introduced the idea after noticing that her team was feeling stressed and unfocused—especially after the pandemic.

“Years of pandemic life had started to take their toll,” she explained in a blog post. Employees were feeling more anxious and less productive, so she needed to find a way to help.

Instead of traditional stress relief methods, Erika had a different idea. When Masturbation Month came around in 2021, she decided to test the concept. It worked so well that she made it permanent the following year.

To ensure employees had privacy, Erika set up a “masturbation station”—a private room in the office where employees could go during their break. She also provided a variety of tools to help them relax.

According to Erika, this break helps staff feel happier, more focused, and more creative. She believes mental and physical health are connected, and this was her way of supporting overall well-being.

But for her, this was about more than just her team. She also wanted to normalize self-care and encourage discussions about it in a professional setting.

Over time, other companies started to adopt similar policies, just as Erika had hoped.

Now, in 2024, Erika has shared more about her company’s culture. During a tour of her Barcelona office, she showed off its unique decorations and an “erotic chapel.”

When asked about the break policy, Erika smiled and confirmed, “They get masturbation breaks.” She even shared a joke that her team often says: “An orgasm a day…”—though she left the rest up to the imagination.