Significance of Returnship Programs for Women

Instances of women exiting the workforce is rising and this trend is concerning. Childcare cost is exorbitant and some women simply cannot afford this cost and find quitting the workforce to be the more convenient option. Others are hesitant to leave their little child in the hands of others and go out to work.

However, as time passes, many realize the emotional vacuum and again yearn to re-join the workforce once their child grows up a little. Previously it was difficult for these women wanting to relaunch their career to explain the career gap, but now organizations are voluntarily organizing returnship programs and welcoming these women to join their organizations. Actually, returnship programs are targeted towards hiring anyone who has been on a career break for a few years. But it has been seen that it is mainly the female workforce that is making use of these returnship programs to make a comeback in the labour industry.

Women re-entering the workforce after a career break show increased confidence and their family benefits from the increased earnings. The child begins to perceive his or her mother as a strong, confident and independent woman. It has been also found that children having working mothers grow up to be confident and self-reliant individuals. Women rejoining the workforce after a career break help to bridge gender gap and paves way towards women empowerment. It also encourages other women going through similar situations to give a thought on restarting their careers. 

But why are companies investing in returnship programs? Let’s dive into the reasons that are driving companies to organize returnship programs.

• Access to a pool of qualified and experienced professionals -Recruiting freshers involves training which is a costly and time-consuming affair. Conducting returnship programs give companies access to a pool of qualified and experienced professionals. These professionals just need a bit of polishing to re-hone their skill set. Thus, companies save significant costs by recruiting experienced hires from returnship programs over choosing newbies and investing in training them.
• Helps to reduce talent crunch in the job market- In the present post-pandemic times, severe resource crunch has led to war for talent in the industry. Resources with the right skillset are in huge demand in the market. This scenario has led to the increase in hiring and also increase in the number of returnship programs.
• Contributes to workplace diversity-In order to thrive, organizations need people with different people from varied backgrounds. The rich experience and diverse skill sets that a re-joiner brings to the table adds immense value to the hiring organizations. This is also a driving force behind the spurt of returnship programs.
• Corporate social responsibility, economic development by tapping lost talents- Under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program, the company hires returners and helps them to transition back to the job markets. This helps in tapping of lost talents and also drives economic development. 
• Women empowerment- A significant number of females have made a comeback to the job market with the help of returnship programs. Greater emancipation of women in the workforce boosts the country’s GDP and at the same time contributes to women empowerment.

All women on a career break should be encouraged by their family to make use of these returnship programs and relaunch their career. 

Nasrin Zaman is a software engineer by profession. She likes travelling to various places and enjoying the beauty of Mother Nature. She also loves photography and reading various kinds of books in her leisure time. Connect with her on Facebook or Instagram.

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