Employee-First Culture: Working Mother Policy at OpenSense Labs

Here’s how OpenSense Labs is helping ambitious moms strike the balance between motherhood & their career.

Ruchika, a Software Developer in an IT firm, was overjoyed to know she was expecting her first child. However, she had to leave her job when she was pregnant since the company did not support her working from home or provide any maternity benefits.

She is not alone.?

Juggling between parenting and career is not easy. And when parents are ashamed of “balancing the impossible”, it’s their career that suffers.

This is especially true among working mothers. In order to strike the balance between work and a desire to be a present parent, they often feel the pressure to “be perfect”.

During the pandemic, women have exited the labor force at twice the rate men have. Part of the great resignation was mostly mothers forced to leave their jobs.?

It is time that organizations make efforts in making employee well-being policies that provide a better scope of work-life balance, particularly for working mothers.

?Working Mothers’ Policy

At OpenSense Labs , we strive to provide our team with an environment where everyone feels encouraged to live more outside their work & designation.?

Among the many policies, our Working Mother’s Policy is a notch towards creating an employee-first culture. It aims to improve the lives of working parents & tackle some common challenges faced by them.?

Some of its salient features are:

• Work from Home: Employees can work from home, allowing them to spend more time with their children while working.
• Staggered Hours: Flexible work and break hours to seamlessly manage personal and professional responsibilities. Employees can choose to fix the hours or change them, depending on their needs.
• Flextime: Working mothers can choose flextime which allows them to choose when to start and end their workday.
• Childcare Allowances: The company would reimburse child care up to INR 60,000 per annum to assist parents and guardians with the cost of a daycare facility or a nanny.
• Maternity Leaves: Employees will also be provided 6 months of fully-paid maternity leave during their pregnancy.

Prerna Sinha , a mother, Principal QA Engineer believes that the Working Mother Policy has helped her manage her job and family life better.?

She believes that such policies give all ambitious moms the hope to not choose between family and career, but can do both efficiently.?

"I don’t wish to stop doing what I love. I wish to advance in my career while caring for my children.”

Prerna says, “I appreciate our leadership’s efforts in empathizing with working mothers and rolling out this policy. This is crucial for me because I don’t wish to stop doing what I love. I wish to advance in my career while caring for my children.”

Anjali Goyal has a similar story

She believes that the company's work culture, in addition to the policy, is what makes a difference. She was glad that although her team was made up of bachelors, they always offered their support.

"More than the policy, it is about the #CultureAtOpenSenseLabs. Never has anyone made a fuss about it."

Anjali says “I can, now, take staggered breaks between work hours, where I can take a pause from all the hustle and resume work with a fresh mind. More than the policy, it is about the #CultureAtOpenSenseLabs. Through this policy, my employer supports me. But when I am working with my team, and I need to tend to my baby, they understand it (many of them being unmarried young men). Never has anyone made a fuss about it.”

While expressing his thoughts on the working mother's policy, our founder Vidhatanand V. says, “we realized parenting is “primary” and work is “secondary”. I saw my wife leave her job and go for an alternative profession to ensure she could raise our daughter the way she needs. We brought this policy with the goal that new mothers at OpenSense Labs should never have to let go of their future to ensure the future of their child. This is the 2nd innings of mothers whom we want to support not because they need it, but because “mothers can be ambitious”.

"We brought this policy with the goal that new mothers at OpenSense Labs should never have to let go of their future to ensure the future of their child. This is the 2nd innings of mothers whom we want to support not because they need it, but because “mothers can be ambitious”.

#TeamOpenSenseLabs has accomplished many milestones as we are growing by providing everyone with a workplace that upholds transparency, fair employment practices, and healthy work culture.

?To support our employees in striking a healthy work-life balance, not only are we dedicated and determined but we also balance it out with celebrations, fun activities, and lunchroom laugh riots.

Explore opportunities with us today!

Are you looking for a career switch or to restart your career?

Drop your resume at [email protected].