HPE introduces 26 week paid parental leave in India

Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that the company has now introduced 26 weeks of paid leave for new parents following the birth or adoption of a child, in addition to other benefits designed to improve work/life balance for employees in India following the global announcement earlier this year.

“The benefits we are implementing around the globe reflect HPE’s commitment to attracting, nurturing and retaining the best talent in India,” said Som Satsangi, VP and managing director, HPE India. “At HPE we are not only creating jobs, but also helping employees build long-term careers with the necessary support structure and working culture.

By investing in our highly skilled and motivated workforce, we will cement HPE’s position as an employer of choice globally and here in India.”

In addition to the expanded parental leave, HPE announced several benefits and innovative career support options that will be offered to its workforce in India:

Support for families: HPE already offered 26 weeks paid maternity leave in India and has now extended this benefit to fathers who may now take 26 weeks of paid paternity leave. Eligibility for the benefit is retroactive to parents with children born or adopted on or after May 1, 2019.

In addition, the company is expanding day-care coverage across Indian locations, with an accompanying increase in eligibility for children from two to three years old.

Parental Transition Support: New parents will be given the opportunity to work part time, for three years, following the birth or adoption of a child.

Career Reboot: HPE will offer job opportunities to individuals, such as stay-at-home-parents, who have been out of the workforce for an extended period of time and are ready to restart their careers.

Insurance:  Effective November 1, 2019, life insurance coverage will be raised to 2X annual compensation. Health insurance coverage limits for employees and dependents will be increased from INR ₹300,000 to INR ₹400,000, and will cover any pre-existing conditions.

Wellness: As of June 1, 2019, all employees are encouraged to leave the office three hours early one Friday each month to volunteer, focus on physical or emotional health, or spend time on personal or career development. Wellness clinics will be introduced in Bangalore and Kalyani Tech Park, with a further two clinics planned for Electronics City and Chennai later in the year.

Annual Health Screening: An updated health screening program will include external premier hospitals and an increase in screening tests as well as an additional cancer screening program for women. These screenings have been widely used by employees in the past with participation rates around 46% across different locations.

“As this competitive benefits package shows, HPE’s working culture values employees’ lives both inside and outside of the office,” added Ramendrajit Sen, vice president, Human Resources, HPE India.

“HPE is a leader in employee care globally, and we believe this benefit will help us build our growing Indian workforce. By focusing on wellness we are able to provide a working environment where staff are able to develop and thrive”.

The employee benefits package follows HPE plans to increase its workforce in India by 20% over the next three to five years with a focus on hiring engineering talent in critical areas such as AI and networking.

HPE will also begin construction of a high-tech extension to its Mahadevapura Campus in Bengaluru that will be able to house more than 10,000 employees, as well as state-of-the-art R&D facilities.

When complete, the 1.3-million-square-foot campus will feature a state-of-the-art workplace, powered by HPE technologies, designed to enhance the employee, customer, and partner experience and foster a culture of innovation.