My Second Act, Returnships For Women At Work

Despite being a largely capitalism-driven world where competition coercion and cutting abound, today plenty of smart, driven women are making connections, building relationships, and plotting world domination in a feminist-first backdrop. Unfortunately, many lose their place in the race when they take a break for motherhood, caring for ailing parents or even just to pursue a passion to overcome burnout. Time waits for no one, and when you are on top of your career and decide to take extended leave maternity or otherwise, the path heads down a hill which points south. Most employers even today, look askance at a woman when she decides to audition for her “second act.”

Aparna (37) is a mom of two kids, aged 9 and 5. A graduate of the London School of Economics and a qualified Chartered Accountant – she thought she had escaped the ‘Leaky Talent Pipeline’. Seven years ago, she successfully transitioned into becoming a freelance leadership development professional, working with several of the big names in finance and MNCs. While freelancing had allowed her to maintain a good work-life balance she was ready to get back to full-time work and charge ahead with her career. Except, when she began interviewing, she was constantly asked to explain the gap on her resume and worse, apologize for it.

Gauri (34) is a mom of two kids, aged 5 and 2. She studied Law at NUJS, Kolkata. After completing the integrated B.A./L.L.B. (Hons.) program, Gauri went on to get a Masters in Law from Cornell Law School and her license to practise law in the State of New York. Her varied experience as a lawyer has taken her from working at the Center for Reproductive Rights in New York to practising law in Delhi. After taking time off to have babies and focus on her family, Gauri decided to get back to full-time practice and made the transition successfully or so she thought. Every now and then she dealt with the barbs and the unnecessary offering of explanations regarding her time off which got her thinking about choice. Clearly getting back to work was not proving what she had imagined it to be.

In a conversation with BWBusinessWorld,  Aparna Maroo Jain and Gauri Subramanium shared the story of My Second Act. MSA is a platform which equips women from stellar educational and professional backgrounds returning from a career break with job opportunities, 360-degree support, and professional resources.

Aparna and Gauri shared that they started My Second Act when they were providentially thrown together by their children at the common school they went to.

Aparna said that, "the foundation of MSA lies in our shared ethos that freedom to make choices is paramount and to not have to explain or apologise for them even more so. MSA was created to address a very specific social need where highly accomplished women were being penalised after taking time off and not being able to get back in.” Another of MSA’s core beliefs is that there should never a penalty associated with motherhood. Aparna and Gauri are on a mission to rewrite the rules and are making strides towards true equality in the workplace.

Gauri highlighted that, "while the much coveted ‘returnships’ and portals focusing on women returnees were leaps in the right direction – they did not fully address the concerns of high achieving women for whom role, leadership, and position were top criteria. While choice predicated how MSA began, the lack of people to talk to, share experiences with and exchange information with became another big reason."

Gauri and Aparna both realised that most women in this position needed a ‘tribe’ with whom they could share their concerns about ‘having it all’, work-life balance, while creating networks and discussing issues being faced at the workplace simultaneously. This led them to start offline support groups called ‘Acts’ which are now on the MSA portal as well. They discovered that becoming a part of the Acts and discussing these issues in a supportive, confidential and non-judgmental environment helped bolster their members’ confidence and strengthened their ecosystems.

Aparna noticed another glaring gap that emerged which was the lack of authentic and empathetic mentorship that all their members faced. Conversations with colleagues who were being mentored in-house highlighted the need for hand-holding and mentorship among their members we well. Informal arrangements, while invaluable often lacked the structure and rigour required to see them through to a successful outcome. This led to the development of their Mentorship Program.

Gauri shared that, “We put together a 12-week mentorship program, which is tailored to the specific needs of every member. Each program has 8 sessions with the mentor, along with coaching sessions with specialised coaches and full back-end support from MSA. The aim is to help members set goals for themselves, and work with their mentors and coaches to dispel any self-limiting beliefs and create positive action plans to achieve their goals. At MSA we have an impressive lineup of mentors consisting of leaders across industry, finance, medicine, architecture, law, and education."

The program has generated a lot of interest with members and is helping them achieve their goals and increase their networks.

The overwhelming response from the members led MSA to recently look into placing their members into full-time, part-time and project-based work. MSA has since branched out and offers many services geared specifically towards highly qualified women returning from a career break as well as services which can be used by entrepreneurs. MSA is partnering with several companies and startups to increase their participation in this process and pay it forward.

Hopefully, this vehicle will assist the smooth transition for many many more women wanting to return to the workforce.