Citibank India Introduces WFH Option For 12 Months Post Maternity Leave
Citibank has launched a pioneering WFH option for its women employees who now can request for working from home for a period of up to 12 months at the end of their maternity leave of 26 weeks. Additionally, on need basis, a woman employee can request 3 months of work from home in the last trimester of pregnancy, subject to review and approvals. This potentially provides a cumulative period of 21 months of working from home for expecting/new mothers.
Citi India is one of the first organisations to implement the maternity linked WFH initiative in response to the government of India’s advisory thereby making it as an implementable rule for the benefit of the women and helping new mothers successfully balance their family and career.
Citi India and South Asia, chief human resources officer, Aditya Mittal, said, “We are delighted to pioneer this for our women colleagues across the Citi India franchise. Most studies on women participation in the workforce suggest that women tend to drop out or take a long break in their employment during this stage which impacts their careers and eventually the percentage of women at senior levels in organizations. This is a big and timely step to ensure we retain women talent and support their career aspirations when they need it the most. Hopefully, this will encourage more industry initiatives to implement the Government’s vision.”
Megha Mangal, digital software engineer, personal banking and wealth management, recently resumed from her maternity break. She said, “Citi's support during this crucial time in my life is invaluable. It allowed me to fully embrace the joys and challenges of motherhood without worrying about my career. The peace of mind knowing that I could continue contributing to my job working from home made my transition into motherhood so much smoother. Citi's maternity leave policy exemplifies its dedication to creating a positive and inclusive work environment.”
With Citi India having over 30,000 employees of which 38 per cent are women, this initiative is expected to widely benefit women by ensuring continuity of their careers with Citi as also building a seamless pipeline to augment the already strong 30 per cent women representation at mid-senior/senior positions.
In 2019, Citi became one of the first companies to disclose its unadjusted, or ‘raw’ pay gaps for both women and U.S. minorities. In 2021, it was the first Wall Street Bank to launch the flexible working model.
