Traffic Police Carries Baby At Work, Should We Laud Her Or Give Better Facilities?

A video of a traffic police officer went viral on social media for she was seen carrying her baby while she was at the signal.

The video has reportedly emerged from Chandigarh and attracted thousands of likes, retweets, and comments, on Friday. The video clip was shot by a local resident near the roundabout of Sector 15/23 at 11 AM Friday.

Police officials later on clarified that the woman constable named Priyanka and another cop were supposed to be on duty at the intersection at 8 AM. However, an official found them missing from the duty after which she was asked to report. She came to duty, along with the child. The staff at the office asked her to go home if she wanted, however, she did not.

The video has received mixed responses from netizens. Many praised the dedication of the woman constable and, some even advised her to keep her child at home. But is that a solution or a laudable act that we should normalize and celebrate?

Thankfully few users were sane enough to raise the issue of working mothers facing similar issues with their kids.

Moreover, it should be noted that we all are still at high risk due to the pandemic, and exposing a baby out in the sun along with the threat of the virus is not something any child deserves.

As work and personal time become more integrated, employers should not ignore major transitions in the lives of their employees, like, a baby or caring for a sick child.

Offering family-friendly benefits and policies is great, but not sufficient. The most positive impact can come from an on-site childcare benefits program.

Today’s working parents struggle to find reliable and convenient childcare as they can’t possibly keep an eye on their child while they are away and working, also they cost pretty much. An often-overlooked solution is offering childcare at the workplace.

According to a study published in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, employee performance was higher and absenteeism lower, among those who had on-site childcare. And, on-site childcare benefits are not just limited to these, it is essentially the new work-life balance.

Bangalore has become the first Indian city to implement rules for crèche facilities to be provided to female employees as per the Maternity Benefit Act by the Government of India.

Employers in the technology capital of India will now not just be required to provide maternity leave of 26 weeks and related creche facility, but will also be required to comply with several additional requirements in terms of setting up and running the facility.

Several MNCs and corporates have started providing similar facilities across the country.

While the act has been regulated by the central government, it is yet to be seen how well it is followed in each and every part of India.