Swedish Filmmaker Erika Lust Creates A ‘30-Minute Masturbation Break’ For Her Employees, Says 'It Gets Rid Of Stress'

Key Points:

Swedish filmmaker Erika Lust has introduced an unconventional work policy to improve mental health and workplace productivity. The founder of Erika Lust Films initially introduced this policy back in 2021 at her Barcelona-based adult film company. At the time, Erika Lust gained widespread attention for introducing a daily masturbation break for employees to enhance productivity and reduce stress.

This new policy was introduced as a mechanism to combat stress during the pandemic. Erika wrote in a blog post that she provided her staff with a safe and comfortable private space—referred to as the "masturbation station"—for their self-pleasure routine. She said, “I decided to dedicate Masturbation Month to my team by giving them an extra 30 minutes off every day to use for their self-pleasure routine.”

The new-age work break routine set up by Lust gained international attention and sparked a debate on work culture and personal well-being in the workplace. The policy, which began as a trial, was officially implemented as a permanent company practice in May 2022 during the pandemic.

Explaining the reason for implementing the self-pleasure break, she wrote in her blog that she had noticed an increase in agitation, stress, and anxiety during the lockdown. Many of her employees—and Lust herself—began to feel unfocused.

See Also:

“I started noticing my team and myself struggling. Years of pandemic life had started to take their toll on us. We were less focused, more agitated, and overall more anxious,” said Erika Lust.

Her company Erika Lust Films joined hands with a German sex toy brand Fun Factory in 2022 to provide employees with sex toys of their preference to support the initiative. She further added, “Masturbation has been shown to not only make you happier, more relaxed, and more focused, but it is also a proven creativity booster, and it increases your drive to get things done.”

The feminist pornographic film director debuted with her Spanish indie short film The Good Girl (2004) and has been a prominent figure in the feminist pornographic movement ever since. In an interview with The News Movement in 2024, Erika shared her belief that masturbation “gets rid of anxiety.” For Erika, stress is a major productivity killer and can create serious obstacles in building a successful work environment.

The Swedish filmmaker emphasized that she wants to normalize masturbation on a broader scale and told The News Movement that sexual well-being is deeply connected with one’s overall physical and mental health. Therefore, it should be treated with the same amount of respect and resources.

Erika initially launched the initiative during Masturbation Month, but later, the company decided to make the policy permanent. “We decided to make the 'masturbation break' a permanent company policy that we enforce to this day," said Erika Lust. [Rh/VS]

Also Read: