Need of the Hour: Zomato Announces Paternal Leave for Both Parents

Zomato’s new paternity leave gives 26 weeks off to fathers as well.

The new move from the food aggregator is being hailed by people online.

(Photo: Zomato/Altered by The Quint)

Food delivery portal Zomato has announced its new paternity leave pattern for India, giving 26 weeks of paid leave for both new mothers and fathers.

The new rule applies to all, including surrogate parents, adoption and same-sex partners, the company said in a blog on Monday, 3 June. Zomato has said that the reason behind this step is that the lack of universal paid paternal leaves leads to fewer women in organisations.

“Currently, it is hard for women to lead a healthy family life and focus on their careers, leading to a lot of women leaving their jobs or putting their careers on the back burner. This results in a pressing lack of diversity across all levels of the organisation, and needs to be solved proactively.”

Zomato Blog

Apart from the 26 weeks leave, the policy also introduces a $1,000 financing per child, which will be shared by the company and governments, with respect to the norms in place.

Zomato that has teams in 13 countries will provide women across the globe 26 weeks paid leave, or will follow the government mandated policy, whichever is more. It will offer these benefits to men as well.

According to the blog, the policy will be applicable to those who have had a child in the last 6 months.

People across the internet appreciated Zomato’s move towards gender equality, saying that it is the need of the hour, as parents are struggling to balance work and home.