INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
MUMBAI: Long breaks no longer suggest a complete stop for an individuals career.A 10-year break taken by HR professional Shilpi Singh did
not pose a hurdle in rekindling her career aspirations
6 months earlier, Shilpi joined Airtel through the companys return-to-work program Step-In
A number of business now have second-career programs-- a window of opportunity for women who may have left their careers due to various
reasons, such as child care
Still, most organisations do not encourage candidates with a break thats longer than a number of years
Theres usually a cap on the quantum of break taken, based upon the belief that individualss skills would end up being outdated
Thats not the case with Airtels Step-In
Shilpi, who pursued her interests and became a certified trainer for Zumba and Yoga, amongst lots of other accomplishments, is now part of
the HR group at Airtels Bengaluru office where she drives talent acquisition across HR and other verticals
Airtel stated Shilpis varied experience brings a rejuvenating perspective to the business and has actually recognized her simple get in
touch with prospects as being important to her role.Airtel primary people officer Amrita Padda stated, Breaks enrich us in numerous methods
Individuals might have taken a break from an active corporate career, however they gain experience during this stage by doing something
significant in other places
Being out of the business world doesnt imply that youre not active
The way Shilpi has actually come back into the team, the insights shes bringing to us and the conversations that shes having internally - &
externally-- it is really impressive
Padda stated Airtels goal is clear
We want to remain real to our vision of being an inclusive work environment where we can bring in a lot of diverse workers
The Step-In program is about restoring ladies who have actually taken a career break for various factors buthave the ideal experience and
abilities to go back to work
The Renew programme at Larsen - & Toubro(L&T) only thinks about qualifications of a returnee lady candidate and not the length of her
Executive VP - & head (corporate HR) C Jayakumar stated, We just recently employed a female employee who was on a career break that
extended to around 10 years
We employed her because shes a certified MBA and is suitable for the post
All that we make sure is that we sensitise the candidates coming back to work after a long break that they are being hired for their
previous experience and their existing po-tential for the task requirement
In the last one year, around 2,000 prospects applied through Renew.Marico, which just recently released Phoenix, a gender neutral
second-career program, also does not have a cap on the break a candidate took
Maricos CHRO Amit Prakash said, We think grey cells matter more than grey hair
We are constantly open up to working with skill who think in making a distinction and leaving an impact
We are providing a chance to professionals who have taken a minimum 1-year break from the labor force to return to on a job or on a lateral
The programme appreciates uniqueness and invites candidates that might have taken longer breaks
The idea is to not limit ourselves with the number of years of break, but create a more thought-diverse office driven by the ingenious and
entrepreneurial spirit that Marico is known for
For that reason, the qualifications, abilities and competence of the prospect will matter and not the years of break
As second-career policies get even more fine-tuned to make them more progressive, Marico decided to make Phoenix a gender-neutral programme
given the paradigm shift in employee expectations.
