Citigroup Inc. will allow female employees in India to work remotely for as much as one year after their 26-week maternity leave, part of a bid to expand benefits and retain women.
They can also ask to work from home in the last trimester, the bank said in a statement on Wednesday. India currently allows expectant mothers to use up to eight of 26 weeks of legally mandated paid maternity leave before the baby arrives.
If they choose the remote work option, expecting or new mothers might not need to come to the office for as much as 21 months, Citi said.
“We feel this is an idea whose time has come,” said Aditya Mittal, chief human resources officer for Citi India & South Asia. The bank also plans to expand benefits for new fathers over the next year.
Citi’s actions follow a central government advisory issued in June 2021 that encouraged new mothers to work from home. While it was triggered by the coronavirus pandemic, its implementation could also spur more participation of women in the labor force, the Ministry of Labour and Employment said at the time.
The labor force participation rate among females in the world’s most populous nation was 24 percent last year, among the lowest in the world, according to data from the International Labour Organisation. Women accounted for only 16.2 percent of senior and middle management roles.
Women make up 38 percent of Citi India’s workforce of over 30,000 people and the move is expected to help them continue with their careers at the bank, it said. It will also help Citi build its pipeline. Among mid-level and senior positions, 30 percent are held by women.
The bank estimates that about 1 percent of its employees would take advantage of the benefit each year. “The heart of the issue is that we will never become a developed country without women’s participation,” he said. “The cost of doing this is not too high.”
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