Dear All,
I’m in the process of creating a Maternity Leave Policy for my organization and would appreciate it if anyone could share a format or key points to include. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
From India, Ahmedabad
I’m in the process of creating a Maternity Leave Policy for my organization and would appreciate it if anyone could share a format or key points to include. Your help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
From India, Ahmedabad
You can take the Maternity Benefits Act as the base for your policy. Then you can make some changes according to your company norms. Please remember that the policy should be more favourable to your female employees. No way it shall be less favourable. For example, the Act applies to commercial establishments employing ten persons. If your establishment has less than ten employees, you can bring in the Policy for your establishment. Similarly, under the Act there is a provision, viz, eligibility to maternity leave, which says that every woman employee who has worked for 80 days in the 12 months preceding the date or expected date of delivery shall be eligible to leave. This can be made as 79 or lesser days but not 81 or more than 81 days under your policy. Similarly, under the Act there is a provision that the women employees are to be given leave with wages for 26 weeks, and you cannot make it less than 26 weeks, but of course, you can make it more than 26 weeks. Also, there is a provision of leave for 12 weeks in the case of commissioning mothers and woman adopting child. You should not reduce or change this under your policy. There is a provision for payment of Rs 3500 as medical bonus. You can increase it but you cannot decrease it. Moreover, you should be able to extend the maternity leave till the expiry of 26 weeks to an employee whose period of employment as per the fixed term contract expired in between. Also, when the Act says that if the woman dies after the delivery leaving behind the child, then the dependents should be paid salary for the period of maternity leave.
In short, in HR there are lot of such policies which are regulated by specific laws. Even if you do not have separate policy, the Act will bind you. Then what is the meaning in framing a policy? It will only make the HR "busy".....!!
From India, Kannur
In short, in HR there are lot of such policies which are regulated by specific laws. Even if you do not have separate policy, the Act will bind you. Then what is the meaning in framing a policy? It will only make the HR "busy".....!!
From India, Kannur
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