The Flipkart News!
A good initiative by Flipkart around Maternity leave has been welcome news in recent past. 24 weeks
paid paternity leave, 4 months of flexi working hours with full pay, 1 year of career break without pay – it sounds awesome! Having worked extensively and being part of team doing in- depth research and training on equal opportunity for all, creating inclusive work environment – maternity as a roadblock to women’s career progression has been one of the most discussed topics for me.
Are organizations doing enough?
While the Flipkart maternity roll out is a necessary and welcome move, and we should join hands to congratulate them, it still keeps the bell ringing in my mind. Is increasing maternity leave enough to meet the objective? Does flexi work hours help in retention and advancement of women talent? Unfortunately, no. There are number of organisations which I have interviewed that had these policies with limited or no output. The number of women represented in leadership position is miniscule; the number of women quitting post maternity is on rise. The progressive policies in isolation do not really impact the gender ratio in an organisation or make the work environment more conducive.
An extended maternity leave does ease out a lot of stress for a working would-be mom. However, this is only till the baby is born and the ‘would-be’ mom transitions into ‘mom’. Motherhood is the most important transition that women go through. Because at this moment, in her mind, she thinks or herself less an individual and more a mother. We can have different opinions here, but that’s what I have observed in most of the women who experience motherhood.
What is Maternity Transition?
In my experience, as a woman employee, as a coach and as an ambitious career woman, it’s the maternity transition which needs to be the focus of the hour if we are really serious about increasing role of women in business.
Retaining professional employees who take maternity leave has to be a part of a comprehensive strategy for developing and engaging the best talent. Partnering with employees to manage transitions addresses a number of critical business, cultural and behavioral challenges.
What does maternity transition entail?
The maternity transition works at 3 levels: the organization, the manager and the employee .
At the organizational level, progressive and modern policies like ones adapted by Flipkart, Unilever, Make My Trip works very well. This needs continual evaluation based on changing societal structure, parental roles, nature of the organization, statutory requirement etc. However, the way organization communicates and enforces the policies makes a huge difference. The message goes strong with employees as to why do they need to respect and follow the guidelines created by the organization.
The front page news of Flipkart does give out a strong signal. Not only for Flipkart as a woman friendly and equal opportunity employer but also for also for employees working with Flipkart. The focus on presenting the communication to the world sends the importance of the message to the Flipkart employees.
The challenges are more while managing the transition at the manager and the team level. This decision of Flipkart can also see resistance on hiring of women employees. More women, more maternity leaves, more to manage by existing working team. There is a mindset that exists in most of the organizations. The managers and teams are reluctant to take responsibility of co-managing the transition. Business continuity and productivity can be managed if each of the involved party plans well.
The woman employee going for maternity leave is also equally responsible for a smooth transition. A common observed mindset is that it is organizational responsibility to manage the career and career breaks of an individual. Don’t we have an equal (if not more) responsibility towards our own career, managing stakeholders – personal and professional, and ensuring a successful run post maternity?
It takes 3 to Tango
The organization, team and manager, and the employee have to work in sync to create the success stories we are looking forward to. Stories where maternity no more would remain a major debating topic for advancement of women professionals.
This requires planning for pre -leave, during-leave and post-leave period.
A comprehensive transition plan for all on- going projects and responsibilities, communication with team leader, HR and external stakeholders would ensure business continuity. A contact and communication plan with the employee on maternity leave would come handy. What should those points of contact be, how to keep her updated on business or, for that matter, even light office gossips helps the woman remain connected and maintain her motivation level to return to the organization. A support group – a buddy mother, a maternity coach or webinar based programs have been hugely successful in managing stress and expectations of new mothers. An on-ramping initiative based on organizational policies and individual circumstances would again reduce the anxiety, guilt syndrome and work-life balance. Sensitizing manager and team, reinforcing organization guidelines with the team before on- ramping sets the required cultural orientation.
Though I do not have exact number of women off ramping post maternity in India, but estimated numbers suggest that this percentage could be as high as 60%. We cannot afford to ignore this number. It is required to take comprehensive strategic steps. It is heartening to see more and more new-economy companies coming up with disruptive product ideas, disruptive marketing ideas… waiting for someone to be truly disruptive in addressing Maternity Transition.
To know more about interventions on Maternity Transition, please click here.
