Zomato introduces 26 weeks paid parental leave to all employees

For women across the globe, the company will be offering 26 weeks paid leave, or will follow the government mandated policy, whichever is more, Goyal said, adding that Zomato has teams in 13 countries.

New Delhi: Online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato on Monday said as part of its new parental leave policy it will be offering at least 26 weeks paid leave to its employees.

In addition to the flexibility and empowerment to care for their families as they deem fit, the new parents will also be given an endowment of USD 1,000 (Rs 69,262) per child, as they welcome their new baby to the world, Zomato Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said in a blog post.

"According to me, a lot of that imbalance at the top stems from an unequal leave policy for men and women when they welcome their children to this world," he added.

For women across the globe, the company will be offering 26 weeks paid leave, or will follow the government mandated policy, whichever is more, Goyal said, adding that Zomato has teams in 13 countries.

"We will be offering exactly the same benefits to men as well. There won't be even an iota of difference in parental leave policy for men and women at Zomato going forward," he added.

This policy also applies to non-birthing parents, and in cases of surrogacy, adoption, and same-sex partners, the blog said.

These policy changes are applicable to even those Zomans who have had a child within the last six months, it added.

Wishing that the governments across the world institutionalised paid parental leave the way Nordics do, Goyal said "that will be the right thing to do for organisations as well as individuals."

In fact, it's time all major organisations took a step towards this much-needed way of life, he added.