Flipkart Disrupts Job Market With India’s First Adoption Assistance Program, Offers Employees Rs 50,000 For Adopting Children

How should a company disrupt the existing market? Selling below the MRP is certainly one of them, which Flipkart has been doing for quite some time now.

How about doing something which warms your heart, and inspires a movement which can ignite a social revolution?

Flipkart, $15 billion worth largest Indian ecommerce company having 33,000 employees has announced India’s first Adoption Assistance Program, which can actually positively disrupt the India job market for ever. Flipkart employees can now get upto Rs. 50,000 as allowance for adopting a child.

If we leave aside the strategic nuances of Indian eCommerce industry, this is step by Flipkart is probably one of those historical and landmark decisions which will have a long term, positive impact in the Indian corporate sector.

Earlier this month, Flipkart had announced a generous maternity benefits policy, which triggered a surge of positive sentiments, especially among women employees and customers.

Salient Features of Adoption Assistance Program

Flipkart Careers announced this special program on their Twitter account. The features are:

• To offset any legal, regulatory or agency costs towards adopting a child, Flipkart will provide an allowance of Rs 50,000 for their employees.
• If the adopted child is less than 12 months old, then the mother shall get all the benefits applicable under maternity benefits policy, which are: 6 months paid leave and 4 months of flexible working hours)
• If the adopted child is more than 12 months old, then the mother shall get 3 months of paid leave and 4 months of flexible working hours)
• Fathers, who are often neglected in such scenario, shall get upto 6 months of paid adoption leave and 4 months of flexible working hours
• In case parents wish to have some extra time with their toddlers, then they can get 3 months of non-paid leaves, with assurance of job continuity.
• A wellness coach would be arranged for such parents, in order to receive counseling on parenting, child care, emotional assistance and work-life balance tips.

Positive Ripples

As soon as the announcement was made, Flipkart experienced a series of positive, well intended responses and comments, all across the web.

For example, on Twitter, Flipkart’s decision was applauded wholeheartedly:

.@Flipkart initiates Adoption Assistance Program , changing the dynamics of the industry as usual. Sheer brilliance. https://t.co/ajj07vjFZK

— Juhi Sharma (@MissyJuno) July 13, 2015

Given that we have low #adoption rates in #India, and need to encourage adoption, this is commendable @Flipkart pic.twitter.com/4TFCChSdYY

— Anant Bhan (@AnantBhan) July 13, 2015

@WorkAtFlipkart for a change I am proud of my country because of this initiative by you :) #FlipkartWins

— Clementia (@weirdandnormal) July 13, 2015

On Reddit too, Flipkart was able to impress quite a few users, and scored some brownie points against Amazon (which is quite surprising!)

When a user tried to explain this as a ‘PR stunt’, another user corrected him:

Overall, Flipkart’s new policy for adoption should be appreciated and applauded, for the sole reason of bringing in a positive, social change in the society.

When there are around 4% of Indians or 20 million children are orphan, out of which 11 million are girls (2011 stats), we need such similar programs from every corporate entity in the country.