Staying in the game after a sabbatical

Swati Rai

Caregiving, moving with the spouse, child care –reasons aplenty for especially, women taking a career break. The antsy feeling of a sudden halt in the career path is now exacerbated by the raging pandemic. The work world as we know it, is changing, it is now 2x paced and brutal at times, with pink slips and retrenchments, being the order of the day.

 In such a mercurial work environment, at a time when life priorities take pre-eminence for women on a career break, it is natural to come across personal challenges of lowered confidence, volatile market, impostor syndrome, second guessing oneself and ever changing job expectations and norms. The working woman finds herself in a tight spot over the limited options, especially in a work world that is ever evolving.

 That there is a win-win situation for both the companies and women returners in having programmes in place to encourage women to get back to work in their companies,  is a no-brainer. To this effect many companies are taking focussed steps in facilitating the smooth transition of women returning to the corporate sector.

Surveys and researches in the current market context  show that about half of Indian companies are actively hiring women returnees as claimed by a survey of 300 companies conducted by JobsForHer. Based on the gender diversity Benchmarking Report 2020-2021,  many best practices have been put in place by small and large companies in India to hire more women, particularly those returning to work from career breaks. More than half of the companies who applied to the awards are actively hiring more women returnees in the following ways:

By a recruitment channel for current job openings – 25%

By reskilling program to upskill women – 12%

As an internship program for specific job openings – 5%

By other specific programmes – 8%

 Organisations are trying their best to make this switch smooth, however, it takes two to tango and getting back to work and meaningfully so involves, working  on oneself temperamentally and professionally while at home. Here are some tips that could be a handy reckoner for improving upon one’s prospects of getting re-hired.

 Retaining a routine at home

 The first calamity of staying at home is the flying away of a routine or a set pattern of functioning at home . Those with children attending online classes and a lack thereof of a routine, even further affects this situation. Therefore a conscious , mindful effort of focussing on a routine, a discipline of maintaining timelines approximated to earlier standards as far as possible, is a good way to stay active, alert and attentive throughout the so called ‘lull period’. This will help in sliding back to the changed expected office norms, easily.  

 Upskilling, Reskilling and Rediscovering

 There are times when staying at home can set one back by many years as one can be out of touch with the fast paced professional requirements.  It is however never too late to rediscover and polish those skills that one never got a chance to work upon. A new passion , hobby interest turned into a vocation is not an anomaly in today’s day and age. Else, reskilling and upskilling on key target areas of one’s professional operation will be helpful in staying abreast with the changes and help become one more confident.

 Positive state of mind

 There is also a need to push oneself out of one’s comfort zone , stay positive and form collaborations and groups of like-minded , professional women returners, to help strengthen one’s bond, derive strength from them and help make the transition smooth. This will also help in likely career coaching to help gain more confidence and in getting a heads up on likely job opportunities. Shaping the narrative of career break, without any lies or hidden facts is a must-do for an aspiring returner to the job market. Highlighting the reasons of taking a sabbatical and also how the time was utilised, the skills worked upon during the break that would most suit an organistaion, will help .

 Beyond the tropes of celebrating women who hail from established business and corporate houses, there are many other ways of celebrating a ‘Woman’s Day’.  One way is to rightfully acknowledge the struggles of the average Indian working woman, facing herculean challenges in getting back to work, especially during the pandemic when retrenchment and pink slips and dwindling job opportunity, ruled the roost. Let’s make a start!