Marico's compassionate approach to a working mom-to-be is what every Indian company needs

Motherhood is considered as one of the most-wonderful life experiences, but for most working women, it can turn into horror without enough support from their organisations.

In 2016, the amendment to the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, was passed which would allow working moms-to-be to get six months of paid leave. While most companies try and offer support to working mothers after the birth of their child, very few organisations consider the importance of pre-delivery care.

A recent testimonial by a new joinee rated five stars to FMCG company Marico Limited in this department.


Pooja Shetty, who recently joined Marico as Value Enhancement Manager in Sales & Marketing, took to LinkedIn to detail her experiences with the new organisation.


In her note, Shetty said that she found out she was pregnant after going through the interview process with Marico.

As a new working mom-to-be, she was anxious how the new firm would react to this development. "Would a company hire someone they know would be going on maternity leave in 7 months?" she wondered.

Soon after she shared the news, Marico's Talent Acquisition Manager, Mehul Bhati, called her up to inform her that they will take care of her when she joins the company. "That call showed me what it meant to be an employee or rather a member of Marico," she wrote.

After joining the company in February last year, the company pushed her induction market visits so she could follow-up with doctors for her first trimester. Even during the Unlock phases of the lockdown, the consumer packaged goods company ensured that 'safety was first'.

"During this one year, the company has taken so many initiatives like sessions on preventive measures during Covid, tie-ups for vaccination, tie-ups for mental and physical well-being, etc.," she wrote.

She thanked her colleagues - Saee Jadhav & Shraddha Subramanian - for being supportive and showing her the company's amazing work-culture.

In the end, Shetty - whose LinkedIn profile lists her as having worked with The Coca-Cola Company as Area Operations and Marketing Manager for a little less than four years from February 2015 to January 2018 - said that the food & beverages company initially held the 'bar for good culture', but 'Marico takes it to a new level'.

Sharing a screenshot of Shetty's testimonial on Twitter, Chairman Harsh Mariwala thanked the mom-to-be for her kind words, and welcomed her to the Marico family.

Sharing the value of the company, the business tycoon said that he has always believed in keeping people first throughout his work-life. "Organisations must take care of all their stakeholders," he emphasised.


According to Great Place to Work Institute's 2018 report, Marico was named as one of the top 10 workplaces in India. The company's policy on it website says, "When the employees are happy, they are its best brand ambassadors".

Since May 2013, the company has 'Marico Mothers policy' - a well-being initiatives - in place for all the working women. "This policy is an initiative to support working mothers during the challenging phase of managing the dual roles of motherhood and a career," said the company website. Marico has also launched two handbooks – one for expectant and returning mothers, and another for their supervisors.

A 2018 report by the EconomicTimes mentioned that Marico has an unlimited contingency leave policy, where employees can take up to two days of leave any number of times in order to fulfil their personal needs.

Marico also has a Member Assistance Program in place to keep the emotional well-being of employees in check. With the help of this program, trained counsellors extend emotional support and assistance to members and their immediate families when in need.

As a part of another initiative, Financial Well-Being, the company organises financial wellness workshops and webinars with help from certified financial advisors so that the employees manage their personal finances for long-term financial security and wealth creation.