This story is part of our series, Care @ Godrej, in which we examine the role of caregiving in creating a safer and more inclusive environment at our workplace. Swati, who is leader of the channel sales vertical at Godrej Properties, has always enjoyed rising to the challenges of her role. “You could say I manage a bunch of tough guys of the industry,” she smiles.  

She’s also a young mother, to whom flexible work scheduling, and policies that cover caregiver travel and day care, were crucial to her experience of parenting. Creating a balance between dedication to work and bringing up a small child is a challenge for all parents, but Swati gives credit to a work culture that prioritises employee well-being alongside professional success. 

“You are not at your original capacity,” she reflects candidly on returning to work after childbirth, and emphasises that an immediate return to pre-leave performance levels is unrealistic. It is precisely in these moments that supportive workplace policies prove their worth. They help ease the transition into managing both work and home with passion and dedication.  

There’s broad recognition in global best practices at work that improving childcare provisions to facilitate smoother returns to work for primary caregivers, usually mothers.  

For Swati, the decision to return to work after becoming a new mother was fraught with emotional challenges. The choice between her child and her career was not just about overcoming social barriers or workplace discrimination; it was also about confronting her own fears and the emotional difficulty of leaving her child behind. Despite these concerns, Swati excelled in her role, achieving some of the best results of her career upon her return. She describes the experience as transformative, saying, “This is an experience I will carry to my deathbed and remember.”