In a step toward greater equity at the workplace, more companies in India are extending child care leave to their male employees.
The idea is to spur a change in the way gender roles are seen and also “to drive a culture of inclusion,” said Raman Kumar Singh, CHRO of ABB India in Bengaluru. ABB India is part of a Swedish-Swiss company that makes, among other things, electrical motors.
In 2022, ABB India introduced a gender-neutral policy that grants four weeks of paid leave to secondary caregivers, up from four to five days. Primary caregivers get 26 weeks off, in line with a 2017 Indian law that mandates 26 weeks of maternity leave.
ABB calls its policy parental leave, rather than maternity or paternity leave. “It's a messaging that we are giving to our employees that … child care is not a woman role, it’s a parental role,” Singh said.
More than 1,200 men have opted for the parental leave over the last four years, he said.
There’s another, larger benefit of providing enhanced child care leave, HR experts said.
“When employees feel supported in their personal lives, they are likely to be more engaged, productive and committed to their work,” said Anjali Rao, country head of people and organization at drugmaker Novartis India in Hyderabad. In 2019, Novartis announced 26 weeks of leave for both birthing and nonbirthing parents.
Other companies that now offer parental leave for men also include the Indian units of multinational companies such as drugmakers Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, software firm Adobe, spirits-maker Diageo, and, more recently Henkel, a German company that makes industrial and consumer goods.
The duration of companies’ policies varies, ranging from four weeks up to 26 weeks for the secondary caregiver. While many of these policies are called parental or child care leave, some also extend to parents commissioning surrogacy; adoptive parents; unwed cohabiting partners; and gay, transgender or queer couples.
“This is very holistic and inclusive,” said Dipsi Takkar Kundal, Pune-based head of diversity, equity and inclusion at Thoughtworks India, a technology consultancy, which expanded the scope of its parental leave in recent years.
Companies see such a policy as a key part of their employee value proposition. “We continuously uplift our equitable benefits so that we consistently remain a great place to work for our employees,” said Neeraj Sharma, Hyderabad-based vice president of total rewards for Asia Pacific at Synchrony, an American financial services company.
Since July 2023, Synchrony has increased its leave for secondary caregivers from 10 days to 12 weeks.
HR experts said that employees are thrilled with the gender-neutral parental leave policies.
“Open dialogues have indicated a significant uptick in overall employee satisfaction related to work/life balance and support during the crucial period of welcoming a new family member,” Rao said.
She shared the example of Chetan Bhutada, a Novartis manager who said his 26-week parental leave not only helped create a bond with his newborn son, but also helped smooth the return of his wife back to her job.
Support Through the Child Care Journey
It’s not enough for organizations to just provide time off for employees who are new parents, HR experts said.
“You have to be intentional about creating a support system,” Kundal said.
She said Thoughtworks tries to support its employees even before the child is born. She gave the example of leaders accommodating their calendars around doctor’s appointments for the expecting parent.
In addition, she said the company’s four-week parental leave for secondary caregivers does not need to be taken continuously. This allows employees the option to time their leave according to their baby’s milestones, such as taking a week off when the primary caregiver is returning to work or taking a day off when the child has to be vaccinated.
Similarly, at Synchrony, secondary caregivers can take their entitled leave at any time within the first year of the new baby’s arrival, Sharma said.
“This gives them empowerment to choose when they are needed at home rather than getting forced by taking it continuously,” he said.
Shefali Anand is a New Delhi-based journalist and former correspondent for The Wall Street Journal.
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