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    Edelweiss MF CEO reveals to-be moms fear sharing pregancy news at work; Dr Sangita Reddy wants Indian companies to take caregiving crisis seriously

    Synopsis

    Kunal Bahl says empathy is key driver in drafting Snapdeal's 'Parenting Partners Program'.

    In pic (left to right): Radhika Gupta, Kunal Bahl and Dr Sangita Reddy
    In pic (left to right): Radhika Gupta, Kunal Bahl and Dr Sangita Reddy
    Decades of studies have shown that full-time working mothers end up doing a 'double shift' because they have to significantly do more housework and childcare compared to men, according to McKinsey & Company's 'Women in the Workplace 2020' report.

    The Covid pandemic was brutal for most women with work from home. One in three mothers have considered leaving the workforce or downshifting their careers because of the pandemic, the same report suggested.

    Edelweiss Mutual Fund MD and CEO Radhika Gupta, an advocate of women empowerment, revealed that many women at work fear sharing the news of their pregnancy.

    The constant worry to-be working mothers face, Gupta said, is a fear of being judged. "Will people think I will slack off, will I lose my role, will my comp be affected," she wrote are the questions that worry working pregnant women.

    She further hoped for a nurturing environment and working culture for soon-to-be mothers "where this news is shared openly, without fear, and with joy."

    Meanwhile, Snapdeal said on Thursday that it will offer new mothers the option to work from home for six months, in addition to six months of maternity leave. In addition to that, the new parents will also get a host of other benefits like two-week paternity leave and 12 weeks of adoption leave as part of its 'Parenting Partners Program'.

    Founder Kunal Bahl, a father of a five-year-old daughter and a three-year-old son, empathises with new parents and their responsibilities. He said that this measure was taken to ensure that new mothers and their babies aren't separated in the months following birth.

    "Once you have children of your own, one starts empathising more for the materially increased responsibility of new parents," he wrote in his Twitter caption.


    Snapdeal spoke to new mothers and found that they weren't ready to come back to work, risking their infant's health.

    Soon after Snapdeal's announcement, Dr Sangita Reddy, Joint Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals Group, stressed that an individual should never be put in a spot where they have to choose between their paycheck and childcare.

    Lauding the e-tailer's efforts, Reddy said that women may be forced to leave the workforce or downshift their careers if Indian companies don't learn to deal with the caregiving crisis.

    The e-commerce company also announced a one-day period leave every month for all its women employees, which will be in addition to the entitled sick/ casual leaves that they are entitled to.


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