Mumbai: A leading content network, Kulfi Collective, has announced plans to implement an enhanced gender-neutral, inclusive, and empathetic parental leave policy. The new policy recognises the importance of providing equitable paid parental leave to all employees. The benefits extend to all cohabiting partners, adoptive, and surrogacy-commissioning parents.
"We recognise the fact that companies must do their part to allow all parents equal leave so that they can care for their child equally. Being a parent myself, I personally understand the importance of having a partner who is not just supportive but equally shares the responsibility of parenting with you," says People & Culture head Farah Kapadia. "Especially during the first few months of your child being born. At Kulfi, we believe that every parent should be part of their children's journey and should be able to cherish these small & big moments with their partners. Every family is unique, so we have designed a parental leave policy that is flexible enough to work for us all."
Under this programme, each employee who is the secondary caregiving parent will be entitled to take 26 weeks of parental leave, while the birthing parent is eligible to take four weeks + 26 weeks. Any parent who has lost a pregnancy will be entitled to 3-6 weeks of paid parental leave.
ABB India country head and managing director Sanjeev Sharma said, "At ABB, we are committed to creating a diverse and equitable workplace where our employees feel valued and cared for. This gender-neutral and inclusive approach, we truly hope, will provide our people the much-needed time to be fully invested in their families and be present for important milestones. We believe the focus on such gender-neutral programmes will cascade across various sectors to build more inclusive workplaces as the Indian industry strides into the next level of sustainable growth."
Supari Studios, Post Office Studios, and Keeda Media, the three verticals under Kulfi Collective's banner, have implemented this new policy as of May 2022. This is reflective of the culture Kulfi Collective is building—to empower employees and root all company policies in empathy, purpose, and, most importantly, the well-being of their team.
"Looking at the amount of work there is in caring for a new-born, I often wonder how so many mothers take up the responsibility single-handedly and why there isn’t more conversation around fathers being more involved and responsible. It’s crazy how people don’t talk enough about co-parenting! I had the opportunity to be as involved as possible with my wife’s pregnancy, the birth of our daughter, and the first precious months of her life. Our company has allowed me to be completely present for my little ones’ everyday moments without having to worry about work, and that’s something I will always cherish," says Kulfi Collective new dad and CCO Akshat Gupt.
Kulfi Collective editor Akhtar Shaikh added, "The early days of parenthood are crucial for both the mother and father. I was so happy to be able to spend time with my child and be there for my wife. While I was away, my team was supportive, and that helped me focus entirely on my family. The first few weeks of my parental leave really helped me balance my sleep cycle and remain hands-on with my baby—not having to worry about work in the morning was a huge relief!"
Kulfi Collective completed their 10-year milestone this year and aims to continue their crusade of being an employee-first organisation. Throughout their journey, they have hardwired innovative practices into the People & Culture framework and continually introduced initiatives to create a more inclusive and equitable workplace.
