Eight organisations that are offering progressive policies for new and expecting parents in India

Zomato recently announced that it will offer 26 weeks of parental leave for all its employees – both male and female. In a statement, Zomato’s founder and CEO, Deepinder Goyal said that the policy will also apply to same-sex couples and non-birth parents in cases such as adoption and surrogacy. In addition, new parents will also get an endowment of USD 1,000 per child.

As per Mercer’s Global parental report, India is ranked fifth when it comes to percentage of companies providing maternity leave policies for their employees. Further, after India introduced the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill 2016, which stipulates 26 weeks of maternity leave for up to two children, many companies have also upped their leave policies to provide benefits for both parents.Others are pushing the bar to bring in progressive policies which go beyond just providing maternity leaves, to make their parental leave programmes more inclusive.

Happy employees build prosperous companies, with a more productive workforce which has a higher female participation. We take a look at some workplaces which offer great policies for new and expecting parents.

Flipkart: The online retailer has always been progressive when it comes to designing policies for its employees. Flipkart was among the first to roll out a 6-month maternity programme, in 2015. The company also provides four months of flexible working hours with full pay and a year-long career break without pay. Other benefits include Rs 600 per day transport reimbursement for two months upto the maternity break, and maternity benefits such as day care support for children upto the age of four.

Fathers are not left out as well and can avail of paternity leave for 15 days before or after the baby is born, flexible working hours which can be used either three months before or after the child is born and upto three months of unpaid leave. Parents who opt for adoption also can avail of six months paid leave, if the child is below 12 months, and three months if the child is above three months. The company also offers Rs 50,000 to parents who decide to adopt children.

Ikea: The Swedish furniture company has one of the most progressive parental laws amongst retail companies. Last year, Ikea India announced a 26-week parental leave policy for its employees, even before it had formally opened its stores in Hyderabad and Mumbai. This leave policy is applicable for both its male and female employees, apart from employees who adopt children or have children through surrogacy. In addition, women employees can avail of 50 percent reduced working hours for another 16 weeks. In Ikea Sweden, as per the country’s policy, employees are required to provide upto 16 months of paid leave for its employees.

Accenture India: In 2015, Accenture India increased its paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 22 weeks for new mothers as well as for those who opted for surrogacy or adoption. The company also offers one week of paid leave for new fathers. Apart from that, Accenture has a returnship programme for new mothers titled Returning Mothers Programme where maternity leave coaches provide support to new mothers to make the transition back to work, smoother.

Bankbazaar.com: The company has among the best maternity leave policies In India. Apart from a 26 week maternity leave, mothers can also take a six month sabbatical after their maternity leave. Mothers who are expecting also get extra breaks and ergonomic support with foot stools and back supports at their workstations, under the company’s BBcares initiative.

inMobi: Mobile advertising platform inMobi has introduced what it calls gender neutral parental laws. The company has replaced ‘maternity’ and ‘paternity’ with ‘parental’ leave, which enables the primary caregivers (fathers, mothers, same-sex partners and adoptive parents) to avail upto 7 months of parental leave that includes 26 weeks of paid leave and four weeks of flexi time with a work from home option. The policy also allows the secondary caregiver to avail upto two weeks of paid time off within the first six months of the birth/adoption of the child. The company also has a maternity coverage of Rs 75,000.

Snapdeal: The Indian e-commerce startup has revised its maternity leave policy by increasing maternity leave from 16 weeks to 25 weeks. It has also introduced a 12 week maternity leave option for adoptive mothers. Apart from that, new mothers can avail of work from home options for an additional two months.

To make returning to work easier for women who have taken a break, Snapdeal’s ‘Women Returnship Programme’ trains women in new developments that have taken place in their areas of work. In addition, managers and co-workers also go through gender sensitisation programmes to make it easier for new mothers to reintegrate.

PricewaterhouseCoopers: One of the big four companies in accounting, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) revised its paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks in January, 2016. It also introduced the ‘Full Circle’ programme which allows women employees who have been in the organisation for more than two years, to take three years of unpaid leave for childcare. This is meant to ensure that the employee returns to work after the leave period. Apart from ensuring continuity of service throughout the duration of the programme, it also provides for a mentor who will assist in the transition back to work, apart from access to PwC related updates and all health and welfare benefits.

Mindtree: The Bengaluru headquartered IT and Technology Consulting company offers its women employees six months of maternity leave. Mindtree has also launched the MiLady app, which helps track the baby’s progress, provides advice on topics related to motherhood and helps them plan their transition back to work. The app keeps mothers updated with organisational developments and also offers many e-courses so that they can stay abreast of what’s happening.