Maternity Leave Dilemma: Should We Reschedule a Promotion Interview for Fairness?

Dear Colleagues, Kindly advise whether a female employee on maternity leave must be given another date/chance to attend the interview for her promotion, as the date of the interview has been fixed for all eligible candidates, which falls during her maternity leave period. This case relates to an employee of a Public Sector Undertaking.

With regards,
Manoj

Yes, why not? If the said employee deserves consideration for a promotion, there is nothing wrong with rescheduling the interview process.

Regards,
Pon

It all depends. Are there a fixed number of posts for promotion, or will anyone who is found to be good be promoted? If she is still in town, have you offered her the chance to attend the interview? If not, why not? If she can't, what is the problem in postponing the interview?

Please refer to the Maternity Act. No employer is allowed to deny an employee on maternity leave the benefit of regular services.

Secondly, a performance interview is not a job interview. If you are conducting appraisals based on interviews, it is your responsibility to ensure that every employee has enough opportunities to participate in interviews and provide feedback.

The said employee should be given a chance to appear for the interview for promotion.

Dear Manoj_cil,

You have not provided information about whether you are in HR; however, from your profile, it is evident that you are in a PSU.

PSU HR Policies

All major PSUs, especially the Maharatnas, Navratnas, and others, have a history of well-laid-out employee-friendly Personnel/HR policies wherein such contingencies are also covered.

Since the concerned employee is a PSU employee, I suggest she contact her Personnel/HR officer. During maternity leave, an employee is not required to attend her performance appraisal meeting or perform any other official duties.

I am sure the Personnel/HR officer or their senior will explain to her the modus operandi in such cases. Be assured that PSUs are always compliant with labor legislations and other requirements. Moreover, they willfully extend the coverage of benefits to executives and managers too.

So, there is no cause for any worry that a woman availing her maternity leave will be denied the benefit of promotions whenever it is due.

Warm regards.

First of all, confirm whether an intimation for attending the promotion interview has been communicated to the female employee or not. If yes, and she has responded by asking for another opportunity to attend the same due to her maternity leave, you should give her the opportunity to attend.

Secondly, she has full rights to ask for a second opportunity as your schedule is affecting her benefits, which are her basic rights.

Regards,
Tushar Swar.

It is very simple; no one should be denied their right to attend an interview, whether they are on leave or not. They should be given a chance and priority for that promotion.