'Maternity benefits - a tool for attracting, retaining talent'

Companies are increasingly looking at maternity benefits as a tool for attracting and retaining talent and not merely a legal obligation, says a report.
The findings showed that companies which offered additional maternity leave and benefits saw demonstrable results in the form of increased return to work post-maternity and greater employee retention over a period of time, said the report by IT industry body Nasscom and law firm Trilegal.
"The idea of maternity benefits has evolved in recent times. We are also witnessing a concerted push from the government to improve the benefits available under law," Swarnima, co-author of the report and Senior Associate Trilegal, said.

The report said for a majority of the companies, over 75 per cent of employees returned to work after availing their maternity leave, and the attrition after that was also low.
The beneficial measures that these companies have adopted are having demonstrable results and this is what seems to be driving more companies towards adopting such practices in an effort to attract and retain women employees, the report said.
Moreover, in an analysis of comparative benefits across jurisdictions, India fared poorly as against developed nations like France, the UK, Sweden, the US, and Singapore.

The report further said in some European countries there is a concept of 'parental leave' - where leave can be taken by either parent based on their requirements.

In France, up to 3 years of unpaid leave can be shared between the parents, while Sweden provides for 70 weeks of parental leave.
"These proposals are however not welcomed by all - the concern raised by smaller companies is that this may have a negative impact on hiring decisions," Swarnima said adding "it be interesting to see the direction that the law takes in the coming months, with the interests of different stakeholders to balance.