India's largest hotel chain, Taj Hotels, has announced plans to pay for its female employees to undergo fertility treatment if they need or want it - part of a new policy intended to retain and promote female employees in the company.
In a brief press statement on Wednesday, the Indian Hotels Company - the chain's Bombay-listed parent company, said that the company has decided to reimburse female employees for expenses related to "family expansion."
These expenses could include IVF, freezing eggs and sperm, and artificial insemination, procedures that are not typically included in health insurance packages provided by employers to their staff.
Indian hotel chains are competing fiercely among themselves to find and retain qualified employees, especially at the high-end of the hospitality industry.
Intense pressure
Retention of women is a particular challenging for many Indian companies, as many young women come under intense pressure from their families to quit their jobs when it’s time to have children.
IHCL operates 144 hotels in 11 countries, ranging from high-end luxury hotels to business oriented properties, and budget hotels.
– Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2018
