Empathetically yours: Introducing our Career ReStart program for women

In 2012, when my daughter was born, it was one of the happiest moments for my husband and me, and life-changing for us as a family. I was learning to be a good mother to her, while continuing to focus on my role as a CHRO of a vast region. It wasn’t easy, managing both – a baby and a career – and I always felt I was not giving my best to either. In the end I decided to take a break, and enjoy this beautiful phase of motherhood. After having worked for 15 years, I thought I had earned this break, without having to worry about whether I could find a good role to come back to or not.

But boy, was I wrong! When my daughter was slightly older, I decided to get back to full time work. But every company and every headhunter I spoke to, left me discouraged. I was told my skills had become rusty and my knowledge outdated. Some suggested I should restart at a lower level than where I left, and build my way back up again. One well-meaning headhunter suggested that I should consider accepting lower pay since I was not “at my best”.

I almost believed all of them. Until a good friend who heard of this (who happened to be a headhunter), called me and made me see sense. He convinced me that I should not settle, or be apologetic for taking a break for a very good reason. I am so glad I listened to him.

No wonder, women’s participation in the labor force in India stands at less than 20%, and is among the lowest in the world. No wonder, so many well-qualified, bright, and intelligent women out there are discouraged and decide that it’s simply not worth coming back to this.

It’s not just their loss. It’s a bigger loss for all of us. Just imagine, if we had all of these talented women come back to work, wouldn’t that solve a large part of our talent challenge? Wouldn’t we be better off as a company and, more importantly, as a society?

The Freshworks journey

At Freshworks, we have been diverse from Day 1, and we have always believed that there is talent everywhere. We just need to provide the right opportunities, and the right environment for talent to flourish. 

When we decided to accelerate the participation of women in our workforce to 40% by the end of 2022 at Freshworks, I remember having gone over stats that showcased concerning trends around women falling off the employment grid. It’s time we changed that. As someone who’s been there, it’s gratifying for me to be able to effect a change to the status quo, with our program “Career ReStart” with Freshworks.

 

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Blend back with Freshworks Career ReStart Program 

If you know promising female talent who fell off the workforce due to the pandemic or because they had to pause their dreams to balance other priorities, have them know that Freshworks is pushing for them to make a solid comeback, through our unique Career ReStart program.

How?

We have set up a methodical process that allows women who apply under this initiative to blend back into the workforce seamlessly. With avenues for mentorship and coaching built into this intervention—designed in association with the renowned SP Jain Institute of Management and Research—the program truly offers a fresh beginning to the Career ReStart applicants who get a chance to appreciate the business context by working with the Freshworks leadership, from the get-go. 

At the end of it all, the one-of-its-kind experience seeks to be about helping bridge one’s passion with one’s potential. This, in turn, seeks to equip the applicants to play to their strengths, while allowing us to stay on course with our stated #PledgeForEquality.

The case for a Rethink and Restart

I speak from experience when I say that women aspiring to make their “comeback 2.0” can rest assured in the knowledge that a break isn’t necessarily the end of one’s career aspirations. In fact, far from it. Life teaches us many lessons and every experience makes us grow as individuals.

Not just as an advocate of individual aspirations, I believe that the involvement of women in the workforce is a huge win-win—one that can influence the economy as well. By 2025, if more employers committed to improving women’s participation in the workforce by 10%, it could add a staggering $770 billion to India’s GDP (source: Women in the Workforce: India). The World Bank suggests that per year, India will register an estimated 1.5% additional growth to its GDP if 50% women are brought into the workforce fold. 

But more than anything else, when women rise, we all rise!

All we need to do to make a difference is to rethink and restart.