Citi India allows one year WFH option for women post maternity leave

Citibank India

Mumbai-based Citibank India on September 13 launched the Work From Home (WFH) option for its women employees for a period of up to 12 months at the end of their maternity leave of 26 weeks.

"On a need basis, a woman employee can request 3 months of work from home in the last trimester of pregnancy, subject to review and approvals," Citibank India said in its press release.

Bank further added that this potentially provides a cumulative period of 21 months of working from home for expecting/new mothers.

The bank in its statement said that this initiative is expected to widely benefit women by ensuring continuity of their careers with Citi.

Citi India & South Asia, Chief Human Resources Office, Aditya Mittal, said, “Most studies on women participation in the workforce suggest that women tend to drop out or take a long break in their employment during this stage which impacts their careers and eventually the percentage of women at senior levels in organizations. This is a big and timely step to ensure we retain women's talent and support their career aspirations when they need it the most.”

Citi India has over 30,000 employees of which 38 percent are women.

Citibank India also said that it is one of the first organizations to implement the maternity-linked WFH initiative in response to the Government of India’s advisory thereby making it an implementable rule for the benefit of the women and helping new mothers successfully balance their family and career.

In June 2021, the central government issued an advisory to the states to encourage WFH for nursing mothers.