pregnant women are discriminated against by employers as they may consider pregnant women a liability, with decreased productivity and not a “good investment”. This was exactly my dilemma as I was offered a job at Nestlé Pakistan in the 6th month of my second pregnancy, says Fatima Akhtar, Public Affairs Manager, Nestlé Pakistan
As I was having the last round of interview with my current line manager, I kept on wondering about this pregnancy overriding my merit, yet I wanted to be upfront with my future employer, so I mustered the courage and told him I was expecting. However, to my pleasant surprise, he responded by saying, “Sure, that’s fine. I don’t see that as a problem. I will forward you the Nestlé Maternity Protection policy so you know the benefits extended by Nestlé to ensure your wellbeing”. I finally joined Nestlé on 1st November 2015 and delivered a 7 pound healthy baby boy on 2nd February, 2016.
The Nestlé Maternity Protection policy is a comprehensive coverage granting all women a minimum of 6 months maternity leave.
It extends beyond child birth and encourages women to breastfeed up to 2 years. Additionally, Nestlé also has day care centres across Pakistan in most of our facilities with nursing rooms available. Flexible work arrangement is also an option available for working mothers. All these factors are the reasons many women choose not to give up their careers even after becoming mothers at Nestlé Pakistan.
These programs help support women at Nestlé, offering them the right opportunities to succeed in the workplace.