Tech and finance giants like Goldman Sachs and Apple are turning to a new program to help women return to the workforce - and now Intuit has joined the charge
- Companies like Goldman Sachs, Apple, and JP Morgan Chase have instituted mid-career internships in hopes of helping people who have taken time out of the workforce get back in the game.
- These employees tend to be women, who are more likely to drop out of the workforce to raise children.
- Intuit's version of this program, which started in India in 2015, was successful enough that it launches in the US Tuesday.
Faced with a shortage of women in senior positions, major tech and finance companies have devised a way to make it easier for them to advance in their careers: Mid-career internships.
These programs are geared toward anyone who has taken time off to care for family members or for personal reasons. Ideally, it's a win-win situation: The program participants have an easier transition back to the workforce and the organizations are able to attract talented candidates who might otherwise never apply to work for them.
Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase, Apple, and IBM are just a few of the companies offering versions of this program. (Goldman Sachs calls it a "returnship.") Intuit started a similar program called Intuit Again in India three years ago; it launches in the US Tuesday.
Across the globe, the transition back to work after time off can be rough
Intuit Again grew out of a coffee meeting.
Sitting across from a woman who'd taken time off from work to raise her kids, Vijay Anand heard her lament how difficult it was to transition back. First, he said, "no company would actually give her a chance to come back, given that she's had a break and they were concerned about how quickly can she catch up on a regular role."
But the more pressing issue behind the woman's frustration was that the companies' hesitance had seemed to rub off on her. She didn't feel confident that, given the chance, she could be successful at a job again.
Anand, who leads Intuit's global development centers, already knew that the "leaky pipe" was a big problem in India: Because many women drop out of the workforce mid-career to raise kids, there aren't as many women as men in the workforce.
The BBC reported that many Indian women feel guilty about not staying home with their children because of societal stereotypes. And most companies in India aren't very accommodating for new mothers.
Yet this woman's experience illuminated for Anand just how rough the transition back to work could be - emotionally and logistically.
Anand went back to his team in Bangalore, India, and together they started to develop what would, in 2015, become Intuit Again. Individuals - the program is open to both women and men - who have taken at least two years off to care for a family member work at Intuit for six months.
Once the six-month period is up, the individuals have the option to join Intuit full-time. (Anand said everyone is brought on with the intention of hiring them full-time.)
Now, the program is expanding to the United States, where, according to one study, 56% of women in the technology industry leave 10 to 20 years into their careers.
On Tuesday, at least eight women will start at Intuit's Mountain View, CA, headquarters. The US program lasts just four months.
Brushing up on technical skills is just the start
Merline Saintil, who leads operations for the product and technology organization at Intuit, runs Intuit Again in the US. She said boosting participants' confidence is a big piece of the program.
"The technical skills are one thing," she said, "but the ability to talk about and be the storyteller of your life - I think that's such an important skill to build, especially as you advance in your career."
Every participant gets two mentors in addition to their regular manager. There are workshops and lunches about making the most of your return to work.
Anand said that, since the program began in India, three-quarters of the 30 women who participated (and only women have chosen to participate so far) have elected to join Intuit full-time.
Anand sees the program's purpose as twofold. "It's helped build a strong brand for us," he said, especially among women in India who haven't heard of Intuit.
What's more, it helps people who want to restart their careers do so - at his company or elsewhere. "Our focus is on getting back them back to work," he said. "If they choose Intuit, that is great."