Consumer goods giant giant Procter & Gamble’s Indian subsidiary ( Of the Pantene and Ariel fame) has just announced a progressive HR policy. The company will allow upto 6 months of fully paid leave to employees who adopt a kid. The leave will apply to both male and female parent if they’re the primary caregiver of the kid.
Speaking to ET about the announcement, Sonali Roychowdhury, HR director at P&G India said “The intent of launching the Adoption Leave Policy is to lead the way for the industry as we see the adoption trend rising in the near future. We expect the trend to pick up, especially as P&G India is a very young organisation with an average age of 28-29,” she said. In the past couple of years, the number of P&G employees who have adopted children has doubled.” Other than CSR activities, employee benefits, the company in its advertising claims to touch upon social issues and women empowerment.
As per the extant HR policies, an employee is entitled to 6-8 weeks of maternity and shorter paternity leaves upon the birth of a child. However, given the importance and growth in adoptions in the country, this move is being seen as a progressive one. Last year, Flipkart had announced that it would provide a Rs. 50,000 allowance to employees who are looking to adopt children, to offset the legal and agency costs of the adoption process. It would also provide upto 6 months of leave on adoption. Multinational companies like Microsoft and Netflix also have similar policies on adoption leaves.