Tata Teleservices to give six months Maternity Leave

Introduces 6+6 maternity leave policy; extends flexible working arrangement for another six months.

As part of Tata Teleservices’ continual endeavor to support its women employees at the workplace, the company has rolled out its new 6+6 maternity leave policy effective April 1, 2016. The policy entitles all new mothers to get 6 months of paid maternity leave, followed by six months of flexible working hours on half day half pay basis. The move is intended at promoting diversity and ensuring an enhanced healthy and productive work environment.

Commenting on the new maternity policy Ms. Richa Tripathi, Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO), Tata Teleservices Ltd., said, “Tata Teleservices Limited (TTL) follows the Tata Group ethos and values to bring in diversity and inclusion as a part of our work ecosystem. We firmly believe in equal opportunity for women in the workforce and to that effect we want to support them during their maternity period. Our 6+6 maternity leave policy enables new mothers to avail a paid maternity leave for a period of six-months. After that if they feel they need more time for care, they have an option of working on half day half pay basis for the next six months.“

The company has also introduced a comprehensive Mediclaim Policy that now includes cover for infertility treatment (IVF) amongst other benefits.

“We have observed that women employees bring rich and diverse perspectives to the workplace and we encourage them to continue their career and grow in the company. As part of Tata Second Career Internship Programme (SCIP) for Women who want to return to work post their maternity break, we provide live business projects requiring approximately 500 hours of engagement, spread over 6 months on a flexi time basis. Assignments under SCIP are short-term and aimed at developing alternative talent pools in traditional/non-traditional formats. All SCIP consultants go through a short induction programme and are provided access to project mentors and HR support. These women consultants then have the option of exploring full-time employment for a relevant position within the company. We’ve seen an encouraging response to this”, added Ms. Tripathi.

Tata Teleservices is also a signatory to the Tata LEAD initiative – a group-wide mission to celebrate gender diversity at the workplace. Tata Teleservices’ efforts, like that of the Tata group, are to provide a supportive ecosystem comprising of mentors and which facilitates opportunities for women to work and grow in leadership roles.