In 2008, Hagit Katzenelson left her job at a tech startup to care for her three small children. Four years later, she was revved up and ready to return. Armed with an electrical engineering degree, an MBA, and 14 years of previous work experience, she refreshed her skills with consulting projects and by developing a mobile gift-giving app on her own. Yet when she applied for product jobs, she hit a wall… again and again, for five full years. Prospective employers either questioned her qualifications and commitment or ignored her altogether. “I’ve had a lot of really well-meaning people tell me to quit looking,” she told me. They’d say, “Come on, you’re banging your head against a closed door.’”
Helping Stay-at-Home Parents Reenter the Workforce
Five ways companies are creating on-ramps, including “returnships” and part-time work.
June 07, 2019
Summary.
When it comes to working families, employers and politicians tend to focus on new mothers and fathers. Yet parents who leave the workforce when their children are young then want to return might be corporate America’s greatest untapped resource. With unemployment rates near historic lows, and companies bemoaning labor shortages, we need to start tapping into this talent pool. Here are five of the most promising ways companies are creating on-ramps: returnship programs, direct hiring with support, candidate welcome events, part-time and flexible work with benefits, and leveraging college programs.