Pregnancy Leave & later resigned - provision to minimise such cases?

We are a 5-year-old private company. As per the law, we have allowed one of the female employees (Manager) to take a pregnancy leave of 26 weeks. She was drawing around 5 Lacs CTC. After completing 26 weeks of leave, she worked for 20 days and then resigned from the company. Can the company have any control or provisions to minimize such cases?

Dear friend,

Expecting control or provision to minimize such cases is only possible in the following way:

1) Have only male employees in the post, irrespective of interviewing female employees. In particular, avoid hiring female employees under the marriage age or who are single.
2) Obtain confirmation from female employees that they will not resign after the issue is resolved or after availing all benefits given to them.
3) Do not grant maternity leave to female employees; instead, ask them to resign and consider hiring a new employee.
4) Cease benefits for female employees during pregnancy and release them upon their return to work.

Above all, it is important to remember that a female employee is not just an employee; she is also a mother and the essence of life. These situations occur in every organization, and it is not a burden but a sign of respect to provide them with the necessary support. While rules and regulations may seem beneficial monetarily, true development requires the organization to put forth genuine efforts.

Best of luck. Remember, dishonesty and deceit will never bring peace.

Dear Mr. Gopinath Sir,

Not considering the Maternity leave and asking for resignation is against the law. If the employee lodges a complaint, then the management will be in trouble. Even when we ask them to confirm their continuation after availing maternity leave, they will accept and go off after availing such benefits, serve the required notice period, and leave where we can do less.

The Maternity Benefit Act clearly speaks about the payment of benefits part; hence postponing the payment of benefits also comes under non-compliance. It is not only one organization; there are "N" number of organizations facing such critical issues; hence we also need to live with it.

Please suggest to me if anywhere I need to correct.

Thanks,
Kameswarao

Dear Friend Shri Kameswarao,

Kindly go through line by line... you have the answer in it....

Dear friend,

Your post is about the retention of a female employee upon completion of her maternity leave. Somehow, Mr. Gopinath Varahamurthi perceived it as misogynistic and gave an ironical reply. Anyway, let us address the original issue.

Women from all types of companies go on maternity leave. Often, deliveries become complicated, making it challenging to resume duties after leave. Consequently, women resign. Another reason is the lack of proper care for the newborn baby. Many women are hesitant to use a creche, leading them to resign, take a career break for 2-3 years, and then resume work.

However, when considering women from top-notch MNCs or well-known companies, they typically do not take breaks. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, the strong brand image of these companies supersedes post-maternity concerns. Secondly, the high remuneration they receive acts as a deterrent from leaving the company, as separation would result in significant financial loss.

If your company is a 5-year-old private limited company, it falls short in two key areas: a strong brand image and competitive remuneration. A payment of Rs 5 lakh may not be considered substantial.

Experiencing this issue is not uncommon for SMEs. Therefore, your leadership team and all employees should strive to elevate the company's status to that of a branded entity to address employee turnover challenges.

Thanks,
Dinesh Divekar