India Inc happy to give you a 2nd innings
Synopsis
Returnship programs are aiding companies in accessing diverse talent and addressing skill
shortages. Infosys, Publicis Sapient, NatWest, and HSBC have seen increased retention and
diversity through these initiatives. However, only 28% of companies have structured programs,
often lacking a promise of full-time roles and imposing eligibility criteria.
Bengaluru: Second career or comeback programmes - designed to help professionals, primarily
women, re-enter the workforce after a career break - are paying off for companies, but there's still a
long way to go, say experts.
Companies that have adopted returnship programmes are seeing the benefits: access to a bigger
pool of talent, improved diversity and low attrition rates among the returnees. Alumni of these
programmes often become the organisation's strongest advocates, frequently referring friends,
former colleagues and other professionals.
"Returnships are likely to become a standard part of talent acquisition strategies as companies
realise their strategic value in addressing skill shortages and promoting diversity," said Shilpa Khanna,
people advisory leader, India, at professional services firm Aon. "The vision is for all talent that is
interested to work have a fair and objective chance of returning to the workforce, get relevant
support to be successful and not be discriminated against for stepping away from their careers,"
Khanna said.
She added, "They should instead be valued for what they learned during their 'work' away from
work."
Cos Pick Up Pace
In the last 10 months, Infosys has hired more than 800 restarters through its second career initiative,
'Restart with Infosys', said Shaji Mathew, chief human resources officer at the technology services
major.
"We are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where diverse talent is valued and
nurtured by creating opportunities for professionals looking to re-enter the workforce after a break,"
said Mathew.
The programme provides mentorship, access to advanced learning platforms, and hands-on client
project experiences.
Companies that launched such programmes a while ago are increasing its scope, even expanding to
other regions.
At Publicis Sapient, the flagship career returnee integration programme, SPRING, was launched in
India in 2016 to support women re-entering the workforce in engineering, business analysis, and
product management. It was subsequently expanded to other countries .
"Many of the professionals hired through the programme have grown into leadership roles within
the organisation," said Vieshaka Dutta, senior director DE&I (diversity, equity and inclusion) at
Publicis Sapient.
The digital arm of French advertising group Publicis is constantly evolving SPRING to align with the
changing needs of returnees and the industry. This year, it is expanding the cohort size and
enhancing the upskilling framework with deeper technical training in emerging fields like AI, cloud
computing, and cybersecurity.
"Retention among SPRING hires has been consistently strong," said Dutta.
Maneesh Menda, head of human resources at NatWest Group India, said the company has a genderagnostic programme, but "we do have more women than men coming in through the initiative."
Typically, the cohort size is about 50+, and multiple cohorts run through the year.
"We not only focus on getting their skills up to date, but also acclimatising (them) to our ways of
working (and) give them the support they need," said Menda. The financial services institution is
among organisations that provide work flexibility, especially useful for those with young children or
dependents at home.
"Our target is to hire around 50 this year, across tech and non-tech roles," said Menda. The
programme secures full-time roles, and there is no challenge to the extent of the career break.
At HSBC India, the six-month returnship programme, Power2Her (P2H), involves participants
developing the mindset and skillsets needed for successful reintegration into the workplace.
"P2H has significantly enhanced diversity at mid-to-junior levels within the bank, with over 150
participants hired since inception and more than 50% securing permanent roles across various
functions," said Archana Chadha, head of HR at HSBC India. The company expands cohort sizes yearon-year and introduces benefits such as childcare support and employee assistance, alongside
coaching and mentoring.
Challenges Remain
While returnship programmes are growing in popularity in India, there is a long way to go, said Aon's
Khanna. According to Aon's Salary Increase and Turnover Study 2025, only 28% of the more than
1,400-plus companies surveyed had a structured returnship programme.
Many current returnship programmes in India are structured as internships lasting three to six
months, often without a promise of full-time employment. Additionally, some of these programmes
impose strict eligibility criteria regarding the length of time women have been away from the
workforce.
"It is vital to be flexible about the length of the break and instead refocus on current capability and
future potential," said Khanna. "Companies should consider hiring these individuals directly into fulltime roles, accompanied by enhanced support during onboarding and the initial months of
employment."