How Should We Handle a Pregnant Employee's Request for Flexible Work Hours?

Dear All,

I am working in an IT firm. Our timing is from 9:30 am to 6:30 pm. One of our female employees is pregnant and has requested a concession in her office timing. She wants to come at 11:30 am and leave by 5:30 pm so that she can avoid the rush of the peak hours.

What should we do? Can such flexibility be given? Can we reduce her pay according to the reduced working hours?

Please give your comments.

Regards,
MB

Yaar, you take a decision on this, na? You can give relaxation to her since she's pregnant and without reducing pay. Don't think reducing pay is all because if you reduce pay, your respect will reduce.

Hi,

Generally, concessions are given to female employees in such a situation, but a few points need to be considered. Firstly, if the working hours are reduced, that means the individual is not completing her 8 hours of daily work for which she was employed (as per the appointment letter). In that case, the company can reduce her pay on a pro-rata basis after discussing with her. It is important to outline the reasons for reducing her pay, explain the facts, and have this agreement in writing.

The second option could be if there is any possibility of an arrangement like WORK FROM HOME. In that case, her salary need not be reduced since she will complete her assigned tasks.

From a business perspective, a shortage in productive man-hours will increase the cost for the company. They may have to engage another employee to complete the tasks assigned to her, which increases project costs. Hence, it is important to refer to the company's policies, etc., in this case as well.

Regards,
Preeti

Dear Banerjee,

As Preeti says, each company has a viable policy on these matters, and pro-employee policies like the maternity leave policy go a long way in bringing goodwill to the company and help in creating intangible benefits.

In our organization, we have both maternity and paternity leave policies, and the text of it is as follows:

Maternity / Paternity Leave:
For female staff - Maternity leave up to 3 months (paid) + 3 months (unpaid)
For male staff - Paternity leave up to 30 days (paid).

In addition to the above, any other unused leave one may have accumulated can be used as maternity / paternity leave. The leave could be flexibly used as half-time work as well (i.e., 2 days at half-time = 1 day's work + 1 day leave).

You may use these as an example and frame a policy based on your requirements.

Hope this is of some use.

Have a great day.

Anand S

Hi MB,

If you have company policies that follow Maternity Leave, whether paid or unpaid, it's best to adhere to them.

Regards,
Om Prakash

Dear MB,

The problem is not so simple that you give relaxation. It is not an isolated case but setting a precedence. Hence, you must discuss it with your management as it is a policy matter. In this case, if the intention is only to beat the traffic rush, one can start early from home. A proper record of non-working hours may be maintained, and leave can be adjusted after the delivery.

Thanks & Regards,
Ashok Malik

Yes, I totally agree with what Preeti had to say. In fact, the concept of flexible work timings during pregnancy is being practiced by many companies these days. It reinforces the fact that you care for the employee, so she is likely to perform better.

Also, empathizing with the employee is important. Flexible work timings and working from home are the solutions. Employee benefits may sometimes also include insurances for the employee and the neonate when born. I also know of companies that grant maternity leave for 5 months, which is a paid leave. These benefits may differ from company to company. My personal view is that it's a good idea to practice these policies. It increases loyalty towards the organization.

Hi there,

There are times when one has to address the basic needs for the situation that occurred. She has a genuine reason for requesting fewer working hours, and if given the chance, I am sure she will ensure that she does not waste a single minute on her actual working days. Believe me, I am a mother of two kids (an 11-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son). I am able to manage home and office only because of the flexible time I have at Wipro. At the same time, I am very honest and dedicated to my company.

That's why both I and my company (Wipro) are happy working together, and it has been more than 5 years since I started working in this wonderful organization. Give her an opportunity, and you will see the difference.

Anisa

Dear All,

Thank you very much for the valuable comments. Now I have a lot of employee-friendly options to choose from. Thanks for all your help.

Regards,
MB

Hi MB,

Our company is a software development company in Hyderabad.

We had come across the same problem with one of our female employees. Her issue was that she had to look after her 2-year-old child. She convinced our management to allow her to come in at 9 am and leave by 3 pm. Despite being a Project Lead in our company, she agreed to work as a .Net Technical Trainer (as a consultant) for the sake of her daughter.

Subsequently, our HR manager prepared an offer letter with the following updates:

Designation: As a consultant for 3 months. After the initial 3 months, based on our requirements, her contract will be extended for an additional 3 months. During this period, she will not be eligible for any kind of leaves. Once the 6-month contract is completed, her leave entitlements will be as follows:
- Personal Leaves: 3 days (pro-rata)
- Sick Leaves: 5 days (pro-rata)

Office Timings: 9 am - 3 pm

Pay Package: 25K per month (significantly less than her previous earnings)

She was the first person to request flexible office hours from our management. Therefore, our management decided to experiment with her situation to determine if she would continue her service with us. Hence, she was appointed as a consultant on a 3-month contract basis.

Thank you and Regards,
Bhagya Lakshmi.

I don't think such differences should be made. I am also a lady and worked regularly when pregnant. Just think, what is required is time to time walking; sitting the full day is not recommended. Well, I followed many pregnancy Yoga practices to stay healthy and also referred to many parenting sites. One of my favorites was Babynology.