Advocate for inclusive values and formal returnship programs supporting women in tech with mentorship, training, and flexible work. Normalize career breaks, address bias, ensure leadership commitment, track impact, and foster partnerships to create supportive, diverse, and equitable return-to-work pathways.
How Can Policy Advocacy and Organizational Culture Better Support Returnships for Women in Tech?
AdminAdvocate for inclusive values and formal returnship programs supporting women in tech with mentorship, training, and flexible work. Normalize career breaks, address bias, ensure leadership commitment, track impact, and foster partnerships to create supportive, diverse, and equitable return-to-work pathways.
Empowered by Artificial Intelligence and the women in tech community.
Like this article?
Returnship Programs for Career Breaks
Interested in sharing your knowledge ?
Learn more about how to contribute.
Sponsor this category.
Foster Inclusive Organizational Values
Organizations should embed inclusivity and diversity into their core values, explicitly supporting returnships for women in tech. By creating a culture that values diverse career paths, including career breaks, companies can reduce stigma and encourage women returning to the workforce to feel welcomed and valued.
Implement Formal Returnship Programs
Policy advocacy can encourage companies to establish structured returnship programs designed specifically for women in tech. These programs should offer mentorship, upskilling opportunities, and clear pathways to permanent employment to ensure returning women are supported holistically.
Promote Flexible Work Policies
Advocating for flexible work arrangements, such as remote work or flexible hours, helps women balance work and personal responsibilities when returning from a career break. Organizational cultures that normalize flexibility can reduce barriers and enable women to thrive in tech roles post-returnship.
Provide Targeted Training and Development
Returnships should include tailored training that addresses current technologies and industry trends. Organizations committed to continuous learning can offer workshops, certifications, and hands-on projects to help returnees update their skills and regain confidence.
Normalize Career Breaks Through Policy
Policy advocacy at the national and organizational level can work towards normalizing career breaks in HR processes. This includes guidance for hiring managers to evaluate returnships positively and revise recruitment criteria that traditionally favor uninterrupted career trajectories.
Cultivate Supportive Mentorship Networks
Establishing mentorship programs within organizations helps women returning to tech build connections, receive guidance, and navigate workplace challenges. Advocacy can promote mentorship as a critical component of successful returnship initiatives.
Address Unconscious Bias in Hiring and Promotion
Organizations must train hiring managers and leaders to recognize and mitigate unconscious bias against women with career gaps. Policies advocating for bias-awareness workshops can create a fairer evaluation process, increasing the chances for returnees to secure suitable roles.
Encourage Leadership Commitment
Advocacy efforts should emphasize the importance of leadership buy-in for returnship success. When senior leaders actively champion returnship programs and visible role models participate, it signals organizational commitment and helps shift cultural perceptions.
Measure and Share Impact Metrics
To foster continuous improvement, organizations can track data on returnship outcomes, such as retention rates, promotion rates, and employee satisfaction. Transparent reporting advocated at the policy level can encourage accountability and inspire best practices industry-wide.
Collaborate with Industry and Educational Partners
Policy advocacy can promote partnerships between companies, educational institutions, and industry groups to create standardized returnship curricula and broaden access for women in tech. Collaborative efforts help build community support and resource sharing, enhancing program effectiveness.
What else to take into account
This section is for sharing any additional examples, stories, or insights that do not fit into previous sections. Is there anything else you'd like to add?