Feeling discriminated at work after maternity leave? Here is what you can do

by PRUTHA CHAKRABORTY

Are you a female employee? Have you been a star performer at workplace? And yet, have you been assigned less work after returning from a maternity leave or your wedding festivities? Did you know that this is a form of discrimination that is illegal in many countries and that you shouldn’t have to go through any of this!

For Anamika Bapat, this unfair practice is routine now. The 31-year-old Pune resident works at a leading IT firm as a consultant. She is ambitious, focused and has set her sight sky high. And that shows; she was rewarded for being a star performer, year on year.

Even during her pregnancy which lasted from February 2021 to October 2021, she remained on top of her game. She gave her full to an organisation that is renowned for being supportive of all these personal changes that female employees go through. And so, she was grateful when her employers were understanding after she turned down their overseas opportunity, as she was expecting her first baby.

“I conceived during the pandemic, and so, I worked remotely throughout my pregnancy. My immediate managers were caring and encouraging. Even when I went on my maternity leave for six months, unlike other Indian organisations, I was not bothered with questions like ‘ye file kahan hai’,” Bapat tells this writer.

She found herself in dire straits only when she returned to workplace after this duration. “The company deals with clients abroad, and because I could no longer work those extra hours, I would log out by 7 pm. I categorically said no to working overtime, as I had to spend time with my newborn.” But this came at a price. “The quality of projects that later on came to me was not very great. While I was away, a lot of key responsibilities that I handled, went to other people. I led several activities before, but today, I have a very miniscule contribution to those things.”

Problem is, she feels, the employers are “not even realizing” this silent discrimination. Bapat’s story isn’t new. A lot of female employees go through this.

Dr Saundarya Rajesh, founder-president, Avtar Group, which works with organisations to make the workplace more inclusive, says: “The reasons are layered — cultural conditioning, gender role stereotyping, lack of visibility for role-models, inadequate gender sensitivity are all reasons that contribute to such discrimination and bias.”

So, how do we prevent this?

Dr Rajesh replies, “There are several measures. These include policies and processes like assured performance rating during paid maternity leave, providing coaching for leaders and managers of pregnant women employees to help plan for the transition.”

But how can female employees navigate the stigma and keep flourishing at workplace, we ask.

“It is very important to invest in one’s emotional wellbeing not only in the post maternity stage but across career and life stages. For women to follow their aspirations, it is important to stay intentional, to reach out for support and leverage enablers (for care-giving and for growth) and give themselves grace even as guilt comes visiting. Investing in one’s own learning through skilling programs plays a very important role in helping women stay motivated and inspired about growth,” Dr Rajesh adds.

Another key is for an Indian woman professional to express and demonstrate her willingness in taking up senior decision-making roles.

“An ideal workplace would have transparency in communication, provides psychological safety, and a system where everyone is encouraged to speak of their challenges, and if need be, arrive at common solutioning,” Dr Rajesh explains.

Speaking of an ideal workplace; Kimaya Deshpande (35) says she is blessed to have one. Mother of a three-year-old, the learning and development manager says that her Mumbai-based employer promotes “diversity, equity and inclusion”.

“I am encouraged to take leaves or work remotely when my daughter is sick. There have been occasions when they send my child a ‘get well soon’ card with some candies. The F&B industry has suffered greatly during the pandemic, and I think we have learned it the hard way to be sympathetic towards each other,” shares Deshpande.

As for Bapat, she has already come to a decision — “I will keep choosing my family and my child over my job”.

She continues, “I have worked overtime, gave all my blood and sweat to this organisation in the past. But if I have come to a point where I need to prove myself over and over again to my managers, then I am not interested. I will obviously continue to work for them, but not go an extra mile like I did. I feel demotivated sometimes, but am also hopeful that Indian workplaces end this discrimination. It is their loss, not mine.”

It sure is their loss! But what if employers want to work towards building a safe and fulfilling transition for their female workforce?

To them, Dr Rajesh advises, “Building awareness on the systemic inequities that create gender disparity is the first step. This will help employers appreciate the case for DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] better. Helping them understand the various nuances of DEI and challenges faced by diversity cohorts/under-represented talent pools is the next big step. Once there, it is important for employers to sensitise employees on various non-conscious biases prevalent at the workplace and what can be done to manage them.”

• Names of the female employees changed to protect their identity.