Telenor India offers 6-month paid maternity leave

New Delhi, Sep 29 : In a move aimed at attracting and retaining more women professionals at work place, rebranded Telenor Group has announced to offer six months of paid maternity leave that will also enable the company fill the leadership positions.

The new policy will take effect from January 1, 2016. Around 36 per cent of Telenor's (earlier Uninor) global workforce of 33,000 people is women.

"With the goal of ensuring that our organization better reflects the world we live in, and in order to attract, retain, and develop female leadership talent, we are instituting a minimum six-month paid maternity leave as standard for our employees everywhere we operate," Telenor Group President and CEO Sigve Brekke said.

Brekke further said that "this will represent a significant difference in markets such as Thailand and India, where local regulations require only three months of maternity leave.

We consider it a highly strategic move, both from a societal and a business perspective." Telenor India CEO Vivek Sood said "it is our goal to attract and retain the best of Indian talent, male or female, and we are confident that the revised maternity leave policy will make Telenor not only a very attractive place to work for both the genders, but also a place in which women can build career and continue to fill the ranks of our leadership."

Moreover, Telenor India also has flexi timings and work from home policy which allows employees to work from their home up to four days in a month.

"We are confident that that the costs of an improved maternity leave policy are outweighed by the savings of reduced staff turnover and the increased competitiveness we anticipate from a more diverse and equitable workplace," Brekke added.

PTI