Empowering mothers to return to their workplaces
ON THE JOB, AGAIN Ashoka University and Genpact awarded graduation certificates to 18 women from five companies, who participated in Breakthrough, a 7month training programme for mothers returning to workplaces
The Genpact Centre for Women’s Leadership (GCWL), a partnership between Ashoka University in Haryana, India and Genpact, awarded graduation certificates to 18 women from five companies, who participated in “Breakthrough,” the organisation’s unique sevenmonth training programme for mothers returning to the workplace. “GCWL is a unique partnership between Ashoka University and Genpact. This first-of-itskind industry-academia partnership is an effort to drive gender-inclusive growth in India,” said Vineet Gupta, Founder and Pro Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University. “To me what is exciting is that this Centre is housed in an academic institution. Often issues around women’s leadership are talked about in corporate or political settings. This University-based centre enables that our young men and women are sensitized in issues of gender and women’s leadership while they are young,” he added.
The first session of Breakthrough unfolded over three modules spread over six days through a residential retreat format. Participants in the programme had returned to their jobs at companies such as Ernst & Young, Genpact, IndiGo, MakeMyTrip, and NIIT-Tech. Designed to retain talented women post-motherhood, Breakthrough aims to build a pipeline of female leaders who can catapult each other, and their organi- sation, to a different and inclusive growth trajectory.
According to research, nine out of 10 women who take a career break in India want to return to work, yet only 58% are able to rejoin full-time work. The “double burden syndrome” of balancing work and motherhood is a key factor that dissuades women from re-entering the workforce. Companies have introduced policy measures and interventions to tackle the mid-career dropout of women , yet research indicates that 54% of women fear that taking flex options will hamper their advancement.
With these prominent gaps in mind, the curriculum of Breakthrough focuses on strength awareness, emotional, physical resilience and career growth planning. Action Learning Projects are designed to build networks, create visibility for women, their teams and organisations, and help create longterm impact. Participants sharpen their leadership skills through assessments that measure emotional intelligence and interpersonal relationship orientation, with executive coaching.
“Organisations are finding innovative ways to create a supportive ecosystem for women who are returning to the workforce after a pause in their careers. GCWL’s programme goes a step ahead in bringing together women from different organizations – it’s a wonderful network that motivates women to achieve more. Helping women to integrate their personal and professional lives, this action learning program has boosted the ambitions of returning mothers. It’s a proud moment for all of us to see these 18 women graduating from the programme,” said Sasha Sanyal, SVP and business leader, insurance, diversity and CSR, Genpact.
Commenting on the relevance of the initiative, Meena Wilson, Director, GCWL said, “Indian businesses lose 48% of working women between junior and senior management positions. This alarming statistic is driven by push factors such as company culture and policies and pull factors such as family and social norms. Breakthrough’s one-of-agrammes kind curriculum counteracts this sad state of affairs. The programme’s experiential, holistic, and paradoxically serious and fun approach helps returning mothers rise above the unsettling challenges they confront. The success and impact of Breakthrough is ultimately driven by real-time back-at-work projects undertaken by ambitious women and the bonds they create with each other.”
“Breakthrough has been a fantastic programme. Right from the spiritual sessions to Emotional Intelligence Assessment to interactions with business leaders, my experience at the Breakthrough programme has been phenomenal. The programme is truly a breakthrough. Thank you GCWL for this opportunity,” said Khushboo Tak, a Breakthrough participant from IndiGo.
Breakthrough is a unique opportunity for growth-oriented companies who wish to invest in talented women and fix their talent pipeline at its leakiest point. For the second session of the program that begins in October 2017, GWCL is looking to partner with an increasing number of interested companies.
THE CURRICULUM OF BREAKTHROUGH FOCUSES ON STRENGTH AWARENESS, EMOTIONAL, PHYSICAL RESILIENCE AND CAREER GROWTH PLANNING.