Saraf Furniture Announces Maternity Leave Of 1 Year

Under its running employee-benefitting campaign ‘Aapse Hi Toh Hum Hain’, Saraf Furniture, India's solid wood furniture player, has announced a significant initiative to recognize the commitment of the company’s working mothers. The industry will consider the needs of the company’s women employees expecting a child as a priority and celebrate their efforts this Mother’s day. Saraf Furniture, a leading manufacturer of Sheesham wood furniture, offers a diverse selection of home décor and furnishings. Furniture, lighting, accessories, rugs, and carpets are major product categories. Maternity leave of 1 year instead of the usual six months for pregnant mothers and Medical Insurance of up to Rs 2 lakhs for pregnant women employees.

Saraf Furniture hails from Sardarshahar, a small town in Rajasthan. They run their operations near the city to provide employment opportunities to the locals. They take pride in taking the dreaded unconventional approach in their business. In this announcement, too, they aim at strengthening and empowering their women workforce by staying ahead of the curve and revisiting policies.

Keeping in mind the attrition rate of women workforce in any industry for childbearing purposes and that they have hardly re-entered the market, this new initiative has been brought in. Saraf furniture has decided to extend the usual 6 month maternity leave given to expecting mothers to 1 year. The company will also take care of their medical insurance of up to Rs 2 lakhs.

This step will make it easier to take the difficult decision between having a family and having a career and provide them with sufficient time for nurturing and sharing greater family care giving responsibility. The extended benefits under the campaign will encourage vulnerable female workers to return to the labour force after delivering their babies and help improve the health of these women.

Raghunandan Saraf, Founder and CEO, Saraf Furniture said, “As a business, it is our responsibility to understand the basic needs of our employees. We hope this initiative will encourage more women to continue pursuing their careers at Saraf as they move through important life stages in their lives.”

Saraf Furniture has been in the spotlight for impactful innovations that make a mark right from providing period leaves to its women employees, flexible working hours for new mothers and baby care units and giving a 12-day holiday break to its employees in the past weeks. The company currently has more than 1500 employees on board from which 20% are females. In addition, the company is discussing its future expansion plans. Saraf Furniture plans to expand its offline presence in major cities across the country in the near future.

Maternity Leave in India

Maternity leave is a period of time during which a woman takes a break from work after the birth of a child. Maternity leave in India allows a woman to take time off work when her child is born. Female employees were only allowed 12 weeks of maternity leave under the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961. But the Maternity Benefits Act of 2017 increased the period to 26 weeks. In addition, non-compliance with the laws and regulations carries a penalty. By offering significant maternity leave, organizations can support moms to bond properly with their babies, take care of their child’s physical requirements and observe all of his or her important developmental stages. A decent and longer maternity leave benefit is vital to foster a better employee-employer relationship.

Maternity Leave is a well intentioned initiative by the Indian government for expecting mothers in India. Under the Maternity Leave Act 2017, it defines a period of time for pregnant female employees to be on leave for the welfare of both the mother and the baby, increasing the added benefits to women employees.

This Act further specifies the different categories of maternity leave and entitlements from the employer accessible to women in the commercial and public sectors. This is a ‘fully paid leave’ accessible to a working woman who is pregnant or nursing to provide support for herself and her baby. The amendment in 2017 significantly alters India’s previous Maternity Act 1961 and applies to enterprises and factories with ten or more employees, whether organised or unorganised.

This allows them to care for the newborn baby while temporarily ceasing to work for the organization. It gives the mother the right to bill payment during this period. As a result, maternity leave is a paid leave policy that is based on a set of criteria that women employees must meet in order to be considered valid.

Benefits of the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act 2017

Various rules and rights are effectively incorporated in the legal structure of a business providing benefits to the workers who work there. So, in a nutshell, these rights are subsidies that make working a long time worthwhile. One of these perks is the Maternity Leave Act of 1961. It protects the interests of working women who would like to start a family while balancing their careers and personal lives.

Essentially, the legislation gives a pregnant woman the time and resources she needs to care for her and her child’s health. It also broadens the opportunities for surrogate and adoptive mothers. You can get 8 weeks of paid leave prior to childbirth and 18 weeks available after delivery, or you can take them all at once. If you’re fostering or adopting a baby, the limit stays at 12 weeks if you are adopting a baby less than 3 months old.

For companies with 50 or more employees, providing the crèche facilities becomes a requirement and working from home is also an option. Female workers are entitled to be informed and educated about workplace benefits. When women enter the workplace, the HR or comparable grade representative must offer a copy of such information (benefits) in writing or digitally.

When it comes to the act’s constraints, women who are pregnant with their first or second child are the only ones who can profit from it. If you are having a third or fourth child, the rule is further restricted by requiring 80 days of continuous service and earning a minimum wage.