A WORKSPACE FOR WOMEN, BY WOMEN

women from Chennai have launched a co-working space for women only, aimed specifically at helping mothers return to the workplace.

Jinal Patel and Vandhana Ramanathan’s Wsquare was launched in Chennai on International Women’s Day, with an outpost in Mumbai set for launch within a fortnight and three more — in Pune, Bangalore and Hyderabad — planned over the next two years.

In addition to workspace, Wsquare (short for Workplace for Women) offers a catering service that allows women to take home cooked meals for the family; a doctor on call, concierge services that can help with chores like grocery shopping and picking up of laundry; yoga sessions; and spa treatments.

“All our centres will be situated close to daycare centres, so that new mothers are within reach of their children,” says Patel.

She and Ramanathan, a mother of two, have also co-founded and run a digital marketing agency called Let’s

SOS.

“Having done it myself, I know how important it is to be able to ease back into your original lifestyle. We’re here to make that transition less stressful for other women,” says Ramanathan.

For the seven users who have been using the facility for the past two months, the biggest perks are having a daycare centre nearby, being able to network again, and not having to plan dinner.

“The food service has been extremely convenient. I just order the meals in the morning and take them home with me when I’m done with work,” says Anusha Padmanabhan, 29, who runs a learning centre and has an 11-month old baby.