Maternity Leave and Appraisals: Is There a Fair Minimum Working Days Requirement?

Hi All, there is a scenario for which I need to know the facts to help my colleague. She went on maternity leave last year. She rejoined her work in February 2017. The annual appraisal period for the year 2016 to 2017 ends in March 2017. Therefore, she had only 35 working days in the entire annual period for evaluation. Her manager rated her with very low points because others were seniors in the projects, and the goals and objectives were the same for all. As per the new organizational policy, employees who received that rating should be terminated. She was forced to resign, and she did so. Can you please tell me if there is any minimum number of working days to be considered for the annual appraisal, given that she is back from maternity leave?

In India, there is no specific labor law that mandates a minimum number of working days to be considered for the annual appraisal post maternity leave. However, it is crucial to ensure that the appraisal process is fair and non-discriminatory. In this case, where your colleague had a limited number of working days due to maternity leave, it would be advisable for the organization to consider this exceptional circumstance and evaluate her performance based on the period she was actively working. If the appraisal process seems unjust or discriminatory, your colleague may explore internal grievance mechanisms within the organization or seek guidance from relevant labor authorities to address the situation effectively.