Michelle Fernandes, a techie, decided to take a 1 year leave from work after working for a tech giant for close to 8 years! In this year she focused on her self, got married and decided to start a family! Then started the search - for companies with a good maternity policy!
“I was surprised and overwhelmed!”, she shares. She had no idea that the policies vary vastly from company to company and she needs to prioritize based on her needs!
“As a woman wanted to have a baby, this became my number 1 deciding factor while choosing my workplace!”, she very honestly suggests.
Sounds familiar? Read on to know the best maternity policies currently offered in India (and if you need to switch companies!)
Table of Contents:
Top 10 Companies With the Best Maternity Leave Policies in India
ICICI
Maternity leave: All female employees who have completed minimum 80 days in the organization are entitled for maternity leave and can avail 26 weeks of maternity leave up to first two children.
Extendable: This can be extended as per need without pay.
These leaves can be availed from 8 weeks prior to the expected date of delivery.
Single mother / father: They give 36 Child Care Leaves for mothers and single father until the child attains the age of 2, so that parents can spend quality time with their child.
Fertility leaves: ICICI gives 180 day leave for fertility treatments.
Adoption leave: There is 36 days of adoption leaves for mothers and single fathers.
Additional support: Apart from this, there is a program developed to engage mothers, i.e. IWork@Home, which allows women employee to work from home for a complete year. The Bank provides women employees with cost of travel and stay, for a child up to a certain age and a caregiver, during official travel. Further, the Bank has a liberal leave policy for women employees so that they can spend time with their children while focusing on their careers.
2. Accenture
Accenture fully supports its employees in times of need with its people-friendly policies. Accenture not only extends its support by promoting parental leave, but it also offers a variety of other benefits such as fertility and adoption support, reimbursements for surrogacy, and concierge service.
Maternity leave: Mothers can take 26 paid weeks of maternity leave and can choose to work locally for a full year after birth.
Fertility, adoption and surrogacy : Accenture provides fertility and adoption navigation support, as well as reimbursements for adoption and surrogacy fees..
Parental leave : 16 weeks paid maternity leave for birth parents and 8 weeks paid time off for other parents (adopted / surrogacy)
Work locally: Primary caregivers, both men and women, may work locally for one year following their return from the birth or adoption of a child.
Flexible work arrangements : Flexible work arrangements help employees achieve work/life balance while also meeting Accenture’s business needs. They can get 120 hours subsidized backup care service, i.e. support to care child in the company as well as support from swallow resource during work hours.
3. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
TCS has a people-friendly policy and supports employees by giving them maternity leaves. An employee can also take adoption leaves in case of legal adoption.
Maternity leave : The maternity leave limit for a TCS employee is up to 26 weeks. It applies to all full-time women employees with a minimum of 80 days of working experience in TCS.
Extendable : An employee can also get 30 additional days of maternity leaves in case of illness or complications arise due to the delivery of a child. Accumulation limit and carry forward policies do not apply to these types of leaves.
Adoption leave : TCS offers a 3 month paid adoption leave for its employees irrespective if gender.
4. Deloitte
At Deloitte they believe people are their greatest asset. They care about their people, and they want them to be successful in their professional and personal lives.
Maternity leave : All women professionals are entitled to maternity leave as per Maternity Benefits Act, 1961. Their maternity leave program provides women professionals 26 weeks of paid maternity leave. Male professionals are entitled to five days of adoption/paternity leave as non-primary care giver and 10 days as primary care giver.
Flexible work arrangements : Mothers can do work from home or take a 5 year break while freelancing with the company. They reimburse cab fares for women in the last month of pregnancy and also have programs which help women transition into the new life situation.
5. Infosys
Infosys believes “The future is female” and has many women centric policies to ensure mothers feel welcome. According to their website they are aware that women often move out of careers during important life-stages; one of these is maternity. Infosys is committed to improve the numbers of women returning to work post maternity and helping them grow and succeed in their careers. In fiscal 2020, 5,092 women employees availed maternity leave and 89% women returned to work post maternity.
Maternity leave : Infosys offers a generous 26 weeks of paid maternity leave.
Extendable : There is an option to extend the leave by 12 weeks without pay.
Miscarriage leave: In case of miscarriage or termination of pregnancy based on medical grounds, the female employee at Infosys is eligible for 6 weeks of paid leave starting from the date of miscarriage or termination of pregnancy. To avail of miscarriage leave, the employee has to furnish the necessary medical certificates.
Additional support for working mothers:
Maternity handbook : Articulates their promise to provide a conducive ecosystem to women before and during maternity and on their return to work post maternity.
iMother : It is an app designed to help women stay connected, relevant and inspired during this important moment of their personal lives (through the personalized Infy Me experience).
Mom's net: At each of their locations they provide services like well-appointed workstations, interaction spaces and lactation rooms, as well as competency development programs (through Lex), career counseling sessions, experience sharing modules and Family Matters sessions.
Flexible work options : These include remote work and part-time work facilities. Women returning from maternity also have the opportunity to take up modular work packets through Accelerate, the Infosys marketplace or work in specialized technology roles in their IS team.
Childcare support : Infosys recognizes the diverse needs of the parent community. Childcare options include on-site, proximity and network options with a range of quality service providers identified and reviewed by the Company.
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6. Cognizant Technology Solutions corp (CTS)
Cognizant is committed to providing a workspace where mothers feel valued and supported. They have a very child centric leave policy which makes it a great place for working moms.
Maternity leave: Cognizant India offers paid maternity leaves to women employees for at least 182 days for the first two surviving children. The employee should have served 80 days in employment to avail this. Associates also get paid maternity leave for the third child (or so on) for 84 days. Maternity leaves are inclusive of all Saturdays, Sundays, and other holidays declared by Cognizant India. The company also recommends availing of maternity leave at least 14 days before the delivery date for the well-being and safety of the associate.
Extendable : Associates can extend these leaves for 30 days. They should also submit a genuine medical certificate or report from a certified medical practitioner regarding the active line of treatment, the reason for extending leave, the cause of illness, etc.
Associates can further avail maternity leave for additional six months, but with a loss of pay One critical condition regarding this is that an associate should exhaust all available casual and sick leaves before applying.
Leaves for women reproductive issues:
Miscarriage leave: There is 6 weeks of paid leave after miscarriage on submission of relevant documents.
Tubectomy leave: Women associates get 2 weeks of paid leave after tubectomy after submitting the relevant documents.
Commissioning leave: Women associates commissioning a child get 12 weeks of paid leave on submitting the documents demanded by the company.
Child adoption leave : All associates get 6 weeks of paid leave from the date of the legal adoption of the child.
7. IBM
All women IBM employees are entitled for maternity benefits in accordance with the Maternity Benefit Act, 1966 and IBM Maternity Leave Policy as may be amended from time to time. These benefits currently include:
1) Maternity Leave for:
a) Delivery: Women employees who have been in continuous service for at least 80 days in the 12 months prior to the commencement of maternity leave are entitled to up to 26 weeks of maternity leave with full pay of which not more than 8 weeks shall precede the expected delivery date.
b) Miscarriage/Medical termination: In case of miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy, a women employee is entitled to 6 weeks of leave with full pay immediately following the day of miscarriage or medical termination of pregnancy.
c) Tubectomy: In case of tubectomy operation, a women employee is entitled to 2 weeks of leave with full pay immediately following the day of her tubectomy operation.
d) Illness: Women employees suffering from illness arising out of pregnancy, delivery, premature birth of child, miscarriage, medical termination of pregnancy or tubectomy operation are entitled to an additional period of 4 weeks leave with full pay.
2) Leave for Adoption/Surrogacy: Women employees who have been in continuous service for at least 80 days in the 12 months prior to the commencement of maternity leave are entitled to up to 12 weeks of maternity leave with full pay upon the adoption of a child or in case the employee has used the surrogacy arrangement.
8. SAP
SAP introduced a new parental leave policy effective December 2021. As per this policy:
- No minimum tenure/service requirement to access parental leave for SAP employees who have passed probation
- Maternity leave: Twenty-two weeks paid parental leave for primary carers and twelve weeks leave for secondary carers (minimum two weeks at a time).
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Flexibility on the timing of leave: There is an option to take paid leave within two years of welcoming a child, instead of one year
- Additional support: Inclusion of special parental leave where if stillbirth occurs and/or miscarriage after twenty weeks, employees are eligible for full entitlement. If under twenty weeks, employees are eligible for up to three weeks leave.
- Eight weeks transition back to fulltime work with flexibility on how many days employees work dependant on agreement with manager. Employees must work minimum two days for four weeks and then increase thereafter.
9. WIPRO
Wipro is committed to the welfare of its women employees and maternity leave policy may vary based on the location and the country in which an employee is working. Therefore, it’s recommended to check with Wipro’s HR department or the company’s official website as the maternity policy keeps getting updated.
Maternity leave: Wipro’s Maternity Leave Policy offers female employees up to 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, which can be availed either before or after delivery. This includes six weeks of leave before the expected date of delivery and 20 weeks of leave post-delivery.
Extendable : Additionally, female employees can also take up to 12 weeks of additional unpaid leave if required.
Additional support to mothers: Wipro also provides a range of support services to help new mothers, such as flexible work arrangements, counseling, and guidance on childcare. Furthermore, the company offers a “keeping in touch” program that enables new mothers to stay in touch with the company while they are on leave.
Adoption Leave: Women colleagues can avail 12 weeks of adoption leave to take care of an adopted child. Adoption leave can be availed for two instances of adoption.
Surrogacy Leave: Women colleagues can avail 12 weeks of surrogacy leaves. These leaves are available for commissioning mothers as well.
10. Ernyst and Young
Ernyst and Young India has been recognized as one of the best places to work for mothers and fathers. They have various engagement progams, discussion forums and support networks to ensure well-being of women employees.
Maternity Leave: Female employees in EY can avail of paid maternity leaves only after completing 80 days in the company. Employees can take up to 26 weeks of maternity leaves for up to two children. However, if an employee already has two children, then she will only get 12 weeks of paid maternity leaves for the birth of the third child.
Note: These maternity leaves come with some terms and conditions too. For instance, if a female employee has more than two children, they can not avail of maternity leaves more than six weeks before delivery.
In case of two or fewer children, employees can take paid maternity leaves for more than eight weeks before and eighteen weeks post-delivery. Employees can only avail of these leaves immediately before or after delivery.
Extendable: Female employees can combine maternity leaves with carry forwarded Annual leaves from the previous year’s calendar and earned leaves from the same year. However, they can only borrow annual leaves after some time. Employees can also combine these leaves with Personal leaves under similar terms and conditions as Annual Leaves.
Leave for commissioning parents: A commissioning parent is a biological father or mother who uses sperm/egg to create an embryo implanted in another woman. In EY India, a commissioning parent can also get up to 26 weeks of parental leave in the case of a primary parent. However, an employee only gets 15 days of parental leave in the case of a secondary caregiver.
Adoption leave: Employees in EY can avail of these leaves in case they adopt a child. Employees need to provide relevant documents to the talent consulting team.
Additional support to mothers: EY has affinity groups, support programs, employee assistance engagement programs that help mothers with various issues find help. For example, a working mother finding it hard to balance, a mother with a special needs child or a mother parenting a teen who needs counselling.
The Maternity Benefit Act of 1961.
The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 applies to all women employed in factories, mines, plantations, and organisations with 10 or more employees.
Maternity Leave eligibility:
Prerequisite for Proof of Work
The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 states that a woman should have worked with her employer for at least 80 days in the 12 months preceding the date of her expected delivery. If she fulfils this requirement, then she can utilise this mandated maternity leave and any further leave or benefits that her employer provides her.
Eligibility of Motherhood in India
All women who are pregnant, adopting a child, or experiencing a miscarriage are eligible for maternity leave in India, as they fulfil the criteria that determine the categories of motherhood in India. Commissioning, or surrogate mothers, are also entitled to up to 26 weeks of maternity leave which starts from the day the newborn is handed over to the adoptive parents.
Maternity Leave Period
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For first and second-time mothers, the Maternity Benefit Act 1961 states that she can take 6 months, or 26 weeks, off.
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With every subsequent child, the mother can avail 3 months, or 12 weeks, off for her maternity leave, which is a paid leave wherein her employer needs to pay her salary in full.
Further Maternity Leave Benefits
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The Maternity Benefit Act provides mothers with provisions for child care, and the employee can go back to her previous post when she returns from her maternity leave.
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Her employer has to grant her additional leave days until she is able to return to work. This will not only ensure that her wellbeing and her baby's are secured, but also that she is able to return to a workplace that supports and assists her on this big transition.
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The Maternity Benefit Act 1961 states that employers cannot fire or dismiss their women employees solely because they are pregnant, going through labour, or recuperating post-childbirth.
What makes a good maternity policy?
Armed with all the right information, you can now decide if your company matches up! Here are the factors you can consider while choosing of the maternity policy is good for you!
We have done thorough research while bringing you the above information. However if you feel there needs to be any change / update in any of these policies please send me an email on mayura@houseofzelena.com and we will be happy to oblige as the benefit of mothers is at our core.
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shashi rai
Loved the article. So detailed. I work in TCS and Its good! Happy to read that workplaces are getting inclusive to mothers.