A day after Duduzile received confirmation at her job at Godrej Consumer Products, she got another piece of news. She was pregnant. A new job and a new baby. What followed next was: a mix of happiness and anxiety.   

“Obviously, being pregnant is exciting news. But I was also a bit anxious because I was new to my job and I wondered what my pregnancy would mean from a maternity benefits perspective,” says Duduzile. Soon she realised, she needn't have worried.  

As Duduzile’s pregnancy progressed, her emotional and psychological needs were taken care of at work. “I was a part of the programme at Godrej where if I needed psychological support, I could speak to someone. I think at that time I was going through postpartum depression. I really appreciated that an option to seek help for that was available." 

Things got a little tricky when Duduzile had to go on emergency maternity leave. “I had an emergency C-section and had go to on my leave earlier. That was when we needed to review things all over again with the business.”  

But again, support came through. “My manager, the HR team – they were quite good at working with me at every step of the way." 

Duduzile has been with Godrej for four years now, as a Consumer Market Insights Lead for Southern African markets. Her biggest learning? Supportive workplaces are good for transitions – into a new job, and new motherhood.