Bengaluru: A decade ago, pregnancy meant near-death for a woman's corporate career. Today, with women taking over the employee pool, MNCs have no choice but to give their male-oriented work plans a second look.
Bengaluru is showing the world the way, with e-retail giant Flipkart rolling out a brand new maternity package that seems too good to resist. The company has rolled out plans like six-months' paid leave plus four months of flexible working options with pay. Women can also chose the unpaid, extended version of the plan and take a yearlong break, after which they can return to their jobs.
That's not all. Women also get transport reimbursements for two months before and after delivery, along with the company bearing 50 per cent of the maternity care expenses at high-class facilities for upto four years!
Although Flipkart’s offers are unprecedented, experts have noticed a paradigm shift in MNC attitudes toward women. According to Kevin Fretias, Director Global, Compensation and Benefits of N Mobi, “The percentage of working women has increased tremendously over the years. We have a very liberal policy toward maternity leave and we also want our female employees to know that they have a safe landing pad when they return. It’s natural for a woman to worry about her child and for this to affect her work. For this, we offer four months of paid leave and a half day option for the next two. They can also take a year’s worth of unpaid leave.”
Organisations have come to realise that sometimes, speeding up can mean slowing down first. HR Consultant C Mahalingam, who has had stints with companies like Infosys and HP says, “If you really want to get the best out of your employees, you need to put a flexible and supportive maternity leave structure in place. In the past, companies have lost many efficient employees because of the strict maternity-leave policy, but nobody wants that to happen anymore.”
Companies are much more sensitive now than they ever have been, with greater awareness of the kind of pressure women deal with immediately after childbirth. Recuperation time varies from person to person, said gynecologist Dr Nirmala, adding, "Either way, the mother needs to be available to breastfeed her child for six months after delivery.”
That’s not all. Companies around the world have hopped onto the ‘paternity leave’ bandwagon, giving new fathers (mostly unpaid) leave for upto six weeks after the mother has delivered. California became the first state to offer paid family leave, but the idea still hasn’t quite caught on. It is, however, granted for upto a fortnight here in India.
Mahalingam adds, “We don’t expect any legalisation process on this front, but companies are becoming aware of its importance, for men do have a responsibility toward their families too. In the coming years, we will probably see companies including paternity leave in their polices as well.”
