India Inc happy to give you a 2nd innings

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 gender-agnostic 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 year-on-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 full-time roles, accompanied by enhanced support during onboarding and the initial months of employment."