Adoption Leave- Meaning and How to Apply (With Samples)

Adopting a child is one of the greatest joys in the life of many parents, but the process can be nerve-wracking.

From long waiting periods to disappointments along the way, adoptive parents face a lot of hardships as they wait to have a child they can call their own

Working parents also struggle post-adoption as they try to balance the changes in their personal life while trying to stay on a successful career journey.

To support employees during this process, many companies have initiated parental leaves for adoption, where the new parents get a chance to settle in their life as they step into this new stage of parenthood.

But the awareness of adoption leaves is scarce, making this article a crucial one for all working parents-to-be looking to adopt.

In this article, we explore the meaning of adoption leaves, followed by tips on how to apply, adoption leave sample letters, and challenges concerning adoption leaves.

Note: Read till the end to find the corporate allies of adoptive parents who are changing their lives, one policy at a time!

Adoption Leave Meaning

Adoption leaves are the paid leaves offered to employees by the company to adopt a child and settle in their role as parents.

Today, companies realize the importance of leaves for adoptive parents and offer benefits like adoption leaves to boost productivity, garner employee loyalty, and manage employee attrition rates.

However, it is a relatively new concept in the Indian corporate scenario making them less popular than the other leaves available to the employees.

How to Apply for Adoption Leaves?

As you apply for adoption leaves, here are some things you can do:

1. Research the adoption leave policy in your company

The first thing to do before applying for adoption leave is to gather information about the adoption leave policy offered by your company.

The Maternity Benefit Act (1961) states that adoptive mothers are entitled to a leave of 12 weeks if the adopted child is three months of age or less. But each company has a distinct adoption leave policy.

So, before submitting the adoption leave letter, get in touch with HR or check out the company website and employee portals to learn more about the company policies for adoptive parents.

2. Inform your manager in person before sending the letter

The next thing to do before submitting the letter is to get in touch with the manager and inform them in person about your leave of absence.

You can also use this opportunity to discuss how your responsibilities can be delegated, to ensure that the work is not compromised in your absence. This brings us to our next point-

3. Find someone to manage your responsibilities in your absence

Identify 1-2 people from your team who can hold the fort for you.

They can be the point of contact for the stakeholders concerned instead of you while you are gone and ensure your responsibilities are managed well in your absence.

4. Include all stakeholders in the email thread for the adoption leave application

As you prepare to send the adoption leave letter, make sure you mark all the relevant people in the mail trail to keep them informed about your plans.

Some of these people may include:

• Reporting manager
• Skip-level manager
• Human Resources Executive
• Team leads/supervisors
• Your team

5. Include all the vital information in the adoption leave letter

Your adoption leave letter should include all the important information regarding your leave of absence.

Include the following things to make sure you get the adoption leave letter right:

• A subject line that shares the intent
• Intention to write the letter
• Start date and end date (duration) of the leave of absence
• Names of people substituting you for the duration

Adoption Leave- Sample

Adoption leaves in India- Challenges for new parents

The adoption process in general is exhausting and time-consuming. Add the pressure of having a successful professional life to the mix and things become even more challenging.

However, these are not the only challenges faced by adoptive parents today.

Here are some other challenges a working professional looking to adopt may have to face:

1. The absence of a rigid legal provision concerning adoption leave policy for children above a certain age allows many organizations to refuse adoption leaves to their employees.

2. The perception that offering adoption leaves is an expensive proposition may lead to discrimination against women of a certain age group in the recruitment process.

3. Most companies align their policies with the widely accepted verdict by the Supreme Court that offers adoptive mothers a maternity leave of 12 weeks only if the child is below the age of 3 months.

   This is unsettling since adopting a child of any age would have a similar impact on the adoptive parents, making parental leave for adoption crucial for them.

Adoption leaves in the corporate sector

The challenges faced by adoptive parents working in Indian corporates can scare anyone. But with the changing times, companies have realized the need to introduce an adoption leave policy for their employees.

Here are some companies that are leading the inclusivity efforts and offering exceptional policies for adoptive parents:

1. P&G, India

To support adoptive parents in their journey, P&G has introduced a new policy- ‘Share the Care’. It is an inclusive parental leave policy that offers all parents- biological, adoptive, parents in same-sex couples, etc., the same benefits.

With the ‘Share the Care’ policy, P&G offers its employees 8 weeks of fully paid parental leave. s policy builds on their existing policy about adoption leave of 26 weeks for primary caregivers, irrespective of gender.

Here is a quote from Sonali Roychowdhury, HR Head, P&G India,

In the last couple of years, the number of P&G employees who have adopted has doubled. And since P&G India is a very young organization with an average age of 28-29, we expect this adoption trend to pick up in the future.

2. Flipkart

One of the oldest allies of adoptive parents, Flipkart announced its ‘Adoption Assistance Program’ in 2015. The E-commerce giant’s initiative supports adoptive parents with more benefits apart from adoption leaves.
Here are some of the benefits offered to adoptive parents in Flipkart’s Adoption Assistance Program:

1. The company offers its employees with adoption allowance of Rs. 50,000 to mitigate legal fees, agency commissions, and other costs incurred during the adoption process.
2. Women adopting a child less than one year of age get the same leave benefits as the regular maternity leave policy, i.e., six months paid leave+4 months flexible working hours)
3. On the other hand, for women adopting children above 12 months of age, parents can avail of 3 months of paid leave with the option to work during flexible working hours for four months.
4. Men can use up to 6 weeks of paid adoption leaves within the first six months of adoption and can take up to 4 months of flexible working hours.
5. Additionally, adoptive parents can take additional time off beyond the adoption leave by taking unpaid leave for three months without the risk of losing their jobs.
6. Child care assistance: Tie-ups with daycare centers, for which the company covers a 50% fee for children up to 6 years of age.
7. Additional support from a wellness coach to navigate through the challenges of new parenthood, maintaining work-life balance, etc.

3. NDTV

The leading Indian media house offers 6 months of paid leaves to its women employees who are adopting kids.

4. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

TCS offers 3-month paid leave to adoptive parents, irrespective of their gender.

5. Google, India

One of the most sought-after places to work in India, Google offers its employees several benefits. For its employees planning to adopt, Google gives seven weeks of paid leave with up to Rs. 10,000 for assistance with adoption costs.

Conclusion

Parenthood is a lovely phase that comes with its unique challenges. New parents, biological or adoptive, need time to get comfortable in their changing roles and get used to their new responsibilities.

As you venture into this new phase of life, make sure you do it right!

In this article, we have tried to talk extensively about the adoption leave policy in today’s corporate scene- from adoption leave meaning to how to apply to top companies with the best adoption leave policies.

In the end, we hope you found answers to all your queries. Do check our other blogs to stay updated and make informed career choices!

All the best!