In most organisations, the return from maternity leave resembles a carefully choreographed performance—complete with dedicated policies, empathy-led campaigns, and special accommodation programmes. At RPG Group, the Indian conglomerate spanning power to pharmaceuticals, the thinking runs differently.
Rather than crafting elaborate returnship programmes, the company has opted for something more understated: treating returning mothers as ordinary employees who happen to need flexibility, just like everyone else.
“There is no such thing that we specifically do for this,” says Supratik Bhattacharyya, RPG group’s senior VP & chief talent officer, referring to formal returnship policies. “Our practices are such that a mother is always welcome back.”
This understated approach reflects what the company describes as embedding inclusion into everyday operations rather than creating separate programmes. In an era when corporate inclusion often manifests through visible initiatives, RPG’s quieter method offers an intriguing alternative.
Making inclusion invisible
The approach centres on making support structures universal rather than targeted. RPG’s flexibility policy allows any employee to work from home up to 50 per cent of the time—a benefit that, according to Bhattacharyya, naturally supports working mothers without singling them out. “It just helps working mothers to come back because that’s already part of the environment,” he notes.
“There is no such thing that we specifically do for this. Our practices are such that a mother is always welcome back.”
Supratik Bhattacharyya, senior VP & chief talent officer, RPG Group
Rather than building special channels for mothers, RPG focuses on embedding inclusive choices into its workplace framework. This aims to create what might be called organic inclusion—making the workplace accessible without drawing attention to who needs what kind of support.
Some practices, while not explicitly framed as maternal support, address common barriers. Bhattacharya says maternity leave doesn’t factor into performance evaluations, and employees have received recognition whilst on leave. “I know of instances where people going on maternity leave in their seventh or eighth month have gotten performance awards,” he claims.
If true, this signals that caregiving absences don’t diminish perceived contribution—a stance that could help dismantle the assumption that mothers must “catch up” after returning.
The data behind the philosophy
RPG’s approach isn’t entirely intuitive. The company conducted an external survey called “Pass the Mic to Moms”, involving over two thousand respondents across ten cities to understand barriers to women’s workforce re-entry.
The findings were telling, according to Bhattacharyya: 91 per cent cited lack of childcare support as a primary deterrent, 81 per cent mentioned flexible working hours as essential, and 87 per cent expressed need for workplace childcare benefits. This data, the company claims, has informed internal decisions without being transformed into formal policies.
“We’re trying to create systems and practices in the workplace so that those things are available,” Bhattacharyya explains. The company also runs regular sensitisation workshops for managers and returning employees—positioned as dialogue opportunities rather than interventions.
Beyond the walls
RPG’s most intriguing programme extends beyond its own workforce. InWeave offers internships to women currently outside the job market, including those never employed by RPG. Successful participants can transition to full-time roles, though the company doesn’t publicise conversion rates.
This approach expands the concept of who deserves a second chance, avoiding the binary of “employee or not” whilst addressing broader social challenges. However, it also raises questions about whether such initiatives, however well-intentioned, can meaningfully address systemic gender gaps at scale.
The company has partnered with Resilience Works, providing 24/7 counselling services to all employees—support that may prove particularly valuable for those navigating reintegration’s emotional complexities. The service operates quietly, without heavy branding, and often anonymously.
The results speak softly
When pressed on impact, Bhattacharya avoids grand claims. He notes that internal surveys suggest high morale among returning mothers and reports strong satisfaction regarding reintegration. Currently, women comprise 21 per cent of RPG’s workforce, with the company targeting 25 per cent—figures that, whilst hardly revolutionary, suggest stability rather than dramatic transformation.
Crucially, Bhattacharyya acknowledges limitations: “Of course, we do lose some people.” This honesty distinguishes his approach from typical corporate narratives about inclusion success.
The company employs listening mechanisms—including automated sentiment analysis—to gather employee feedback. These systems aren’t limited to working parents but ensure those returning from breaks have channels to voice concerns.
Questions worth asking
RPG’s experiment offers an interesting alternative to conventional wisdom about supporting working mothers. By treating inclusion as practice rather than project, the company may have discovered something valuable: that the most effective support often operates invisibly.
However, this approach does raise some questions. The invisibility that normalises working mothers’ presence also makes it harder to measure progress or ensure accountability. Universal policies may genuinely help mothers, but they can also obscure the particular challenges that caregivers face in advancing their careers.
Moreover, while RPG’s philosophy sounds refreshingly authentic, it operates within broader structural inequalities that even thoughtfully designed company policies cannot address alone.
A different model
Perhaps RPG’s most significant contribution is challenging the assumption that inclusion requires celebration. As Bhattacharyya puts it: “If there is a great talent, we don’t want to lose them for any reason—including that of motherhood.”
This matter-of-fact assertion suggests a more sustainable model: design workplaces that don’t break when life happens, rather than creating elaborate repair mechanisms. The question remains whether this philosophy, stripped of fanfare and measurable targets, can drive meaningful change at scale.
A quiet alternative
RPG’s experiment suggests that effective inclusion might require less fanfare, not more. As Bhattacharyya puts it: “If there is a great talent, we don’t want to lose them for any reason—including that of motherhood.”
This matter-of-fact assertion points towards a different model: design workplaces that bend rather than break when life happens. Whether this quiet approach can inspire broader change—or represents a genuinely scalable solution—remains an open question worth watching.