Maternity Leave Dilemma: How Can We Support Our Employee Without Salary for 4-6 Months?

Dear HR Team, One of my employees wants to take maternity leave. She joined us one year ago, and her performance is good. Her salary is Rs. 45,000 per month plus incentives (approximately 20k-30k per month). However, due to the pandemic crisis, we are unable to pay her salary for 4-6 months during her pregnancy.

Company Registration and Benefits
We are a private limited company registered with ESIC and PF. Is there any way to mitigate the impact of not being able to pay the employee's salary for 4-6 months on our organization?

Thank you.

No, you should pay the salary at the same rate at which she was paid just before her maternity leave. You can do one thing: pay her salary alone without any incentive or payout by way of reimbursement. For example, if the salary is Rs 45,000, you should pay it without compromise.