We were delighted to have such a strong turnout for last week's TWF Return to Work panel showcasing the efforts of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, Goldman Sachs and FDM, among others, to provide women who have taken a career break with the opportunity to return to work.
Key takeaways from the panel included:
– Companies shouldn't underestimate the resources and commitment needed for a successful return to work programme. For instance, women who have taken a career break often don't know exactly what kind of job or area they want to work in so Goldman's Returnship Programme provides opportunities for the participants to meet with a wide range of business units and functional areas.
– After a prolonged break, many women are less confident. HKEx's Women's Network acts as a support network and source of encouragement and advice for their return-to-work programme participants who are also paired with a buddy from within the organisation.
– As FDM shared, in their experience, senior leadership buy-in is critical particularly when it comes to the end of the programme and encouraging hiring managers to consider programme participants and other applicants who may have pursued an alternative, non-linear career path.
– All three panellists agreed that the calibre of women looking to return to work in Hong Kong is extremely impressive.
TWF and HKEx are discussing the possibility of a return to work careers fair early next year where participating companies can promote job opportunities to the significant talent pool of women in Hong Kong looking to return to work. In order to gauge interest on the part of potential employers, we warmly invite you to email Eugenia Lo if you would be interested in finding out more.
We are also looking to showcase female role models who have taken a career break and successfully returned to work! TWF will be putting together a collection of role model case studies for our website and potentially wider distribution. If you have women you would like to nominate - you can also nominate yourself! - please send their name and bio (if possible) to Eugenia at the email above.
