First time in India? Flipkart offers Rs 50,000 allowance, leave benefits for staff who adopt kids

Flipkart is disrupting not just the retail sector, but the job market as well. After launching better maternity benefits earlier this month, the e-commerce giant has moved several steps ahead and now rolled out another employee-friendly measure: an adoption assistance programme. Probably a first from an Indian company, the scheme offers Rs 50,000 adoption allowance “to use towards legal, agency, regulatory costs or any other expenses that may arise during the adoption process”, the policy states. [caption id=“attachment_2339758” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Screengrab from site[/caption] Women who are adopting a child under 12 months of age can avail of the same benefits as under its maternity leave policy. As per the company’s maternity leave policy, women are allowed take six months paid leave and an additional four months flexible working hours. If the child being adopted is over 12 motnhs of age, women staff can get up to 3 months paid leave and an additional four months flexible working hours. Men, meanwhile, can avail up to six weeks of paid leave within the first six months of the adoption and an additional four months flexible working hours.

Those who want to take additional leaves beyond these, but with no leave left, are allowed to take unpaid leave for up to three months. “Continuity on the same job is assured,” the company’s policy says. More over, the adopting parent can seek support  on parenting, child care, emotional health, work-life balance, family health etc. For those planning to adopt, the company will also offer counselling and referral services. And the policy is getting a lot of praise on Twitter: