“I worked in between as a teacher, but when my son turned 16, I decided to give the corporate sector another go,” she told Mint. “I wanted to build a nest egg for myself.”
The interviewer also asked why she quit her earlier jobs and about her goals if she were to get the role. “I got the job, was posted in Mumbai and worked in a team where everyone was younger than me. Within months, I got promoted and a posting in Chennai,” said Kartik, now senior manager, retail assets-wheels, auto loans at Axis Bank Ltd.
Many women like Kartik–and some men–want to return to their corporate jobs after taking a career break. While they may encounter a tough job market amid global uncertainty, some companies are open to hiring such candidates under their returnship programmes.
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“The skills they had have changed but the practical ones needed to navigate the workplace remain,” said Rajkamal Vempati, president of human resources at Axis Bank. “We are looking at profiles of women who have never worked or even took a break for a wide variety of roles, including product and relationship management or customer management.”
The bank, according to Vempati, found that those returning are “very ambitious, collaborate and navigate the workplace within a shorter duration than many without a gap”.
About 48% of the 185 companies with DEI initiatives have returnship programmes for women employees, according to the ‘DEI Maturity in India Inc’ study by BasilTree Consulting. Of the 88 offering returnship programs, 68% were multinational and 32% homegrown firms.
“Early to mid-career exits of women are a major cause for concern, and a big reason why women’s representation at senior leadership levels in India has been lower than the global average, hovering at 16 to 18% for years,” said Bhawana Mishra, founder-BasilTree Consulting. “Return programmes will be a major tool to arrest this issue of leaking talent pipeline.
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According to the consulting firm, the global average of women in senior leadership levels is 32-37%.
Fintech firm Razorpay started the ‘Resume with Razorpay’ programme in November 2023 and has received 27,000 applications so far. It offers a structured six-month internship to these candidates. “Through on-the-job training, upskilling initiatives, and dedicated mentorship, we ensure that they have the right platform to build on their expertise and continue growing in their careers,” said Chitbhanu Nagri, senior vice president-people operations at Razorpay.
According to recruiters and employees, returning candidates are offered a stipend or a permanent role, but the pay is not on par with peers who never took a break. In many firms, salary corrections are made after a stipulated period and a permanent role. For companies, this could help attract employees who remain with the firm for a longer time than their peers.
Those with a gap in their work may face a hiring bias. Some of the firms that have rolled out this initiative are recruiting candidates on a paid three- to six-month internship, which may or may not convert into a permanent role, found a study, ‘The Returnship Road’, by Godrej Industries Group’s DEI Lab, in collaboration with the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis at Ashoka University.
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Some companies recruit directly, with those selected given access to mentors or a “buddy” in the form of a co-worker. Others conduct special hiring drives, according to the study.
The impact is evident. “Women participation in the workforce in M&M has doubled in the last three years,” said Ruzbeh Irani, president, group HR at Mahindra Group. “We have been able to significantly retain the women hires through engagement, career development, and a culture of inclusion.”
Companies across sectors have similar programmes. RPG Group’s Inweave programme even offers a hybrid work arrangement.
In late 2023, Titan Company Ltd launched ‘Sequal’, its returnship programme designed to welcome professionals back to the workforce after a career break.
“Unlike fresh graduates, returnees don’t require foundational training, making their transition smoother and their impact immediate,” said Sukanya Gopinath, lead-diversity, equity, inclusion, Titan. Managers who have worked with returnees quickly “recognised the strength they bring like seasoned expertise, fresh perspectives, and a readiness to contribute from day one”, said Gopinath.
As Harini Kartik put it: “We are safer to hire because we don’t quit that easily, and because we want to prove ourselves.”
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