What is a Returnship? (and How to Implement One)

Returnships are basically internships for professionals looking to return to the workforce after a career break. Their hiatus usually involves raising children, caring for sick loved ones, recovering from an illness themselves, or many other reasons. 

The Returnship itself is typically 12-16 weeks in duration, offers pay that is commensurate with an individual’s experience, and provides additional training and mentorship. At the end of a Returnship, employers have the option to hire Returners as full-time employees.  

The goal of a Returnship is to reacquaint returners with the culture and pace of today’s work environment in a collaborative and supportive environment. 

WHY DO THEY EXIST? 
Unfortunately, the recruiting process for many companies is set up to place less value on candidates that have a gap in their work history. This preference may be something recruiters are instructed to follow or it may be built into the companies recruiting technology or ATS (Applicant Tracking System).  

The result is that companies are missing out on some great talent. And because Returners are typically women, the talent they are missing out on is often female.   

Returnship programs aim to bridge this talent gap. 

Where to Start   
The first thing to do is figure out if there is an appetite within the company for a Returnship program. It takes a certain mindset and buy-in from a few departments to make it happen. These departments include talent acquisition, the head of whichever department(s) are participating, and a select number of hiring managers in that department. Human Resources and any contingent workforce leaders may also need to be involved.   

Employment Status   
We see a variety of implementation strategies when it comes to engaging and hiring returners for a Returnship program. These models include:   

Contingent   
Hiring the returner cohort as contingent workers is the preferred method to engage the returner talent pool. The contingent hiring process is typically quicker and once hired, this scenario allows the employer to evaluate the returner and it also allows the returner to evaluate the role and company to make sure it’s a fit. Then, after the Returnship is complete, it is possible convert some, or all, of the returners to direct/permanent status based on their performance and desire to continue working for your company.   

Direct   
Commit to the returners at the very beginning by hiring them as direct, or permanent, employees. This approach can lend a sense of pride for the returners as they realize the commitment the company is making to them. As a company, you still can have some sort of probationary period during the Returnship where the company evaluates each returner and each returner evaluates the company to see if they feel it is a good fit for their career aspirations.  

Although direct hiring is an option, the hiring process does tend to be longer with more layers resulting in the risk of losing candidates and prolonging the Returnship program.   

Combination   
Hire returners into the cohort using a combination of contingent and direct hire based on the role and the fit of the returner. The decision is usually left up to the hiring manager. This option provides flexibility for the program.   

Benefits   
You will need to decide what, if any, benefits you will offer the returner cohort. This can vary widely but often depends on the employment status of the returner. If they are a direct/permanent hire, they will obviously be given the standard benefits package. But there is some flexibility when it comes to benefits if the returner is hired in a contingent role.   

Name Your Returnship   
You will need to brand your returnship by giving it a name. Ideally, this name will be associated with the company in some manner. For example, the Returnship program we implemented at Tesla was called "Women Recharged", Target has a returnship program called "Back on Target", and the program we implemented at self-driving tech leader Aurora was called “JumpStart.” Get creative and brand your returnship appropriately.   

Which Roles are Best? 
You will need to designate the types of roles and the number of roles for the returner cohort. If this is your first time doing a returnship, 5-8 might be a good, manageable number. And then you will want to think about diversity within the company. Are there certain departments that need more diverse, female talent? IT departments are the most common.  

Whichever the department, this would be the ideal place to hire returners provided there is a desire to implement and support the program by the hiring managers and department leadership.   

Format Job Descriptions   
The job description is a vital part of any hiring process. This is especially true for Returnship opportunities. HP conducted a study that showed women tend to screen themselves out of the hiring process by only applying for roles that are a near 100% match to their skill set, while men are comfortable applying to roles that are a 60% or better match. LinkedIn expanded on this study by discovering that women applied to 20 percent fewer jobs than men and were 16 percent less likely to apply after viewing a job description.  

These facts are troubling enough, but when you add into the mix a career break to raise a child or care for a loved one, it becomes clear that female Returners are facing significant struggles when trying to return to the workforce.  

So, while a job description can’t completely fix this issue, the right format for Returnship opportunities can go a long way towards increasing the number of applicants to your program. The key for the job descriptions for a Returnship is to emphasize that a career gap is welcome, limit the required skills to 5 or 6 at most, and to mention any additional support that will be provided to the Returners.  

Recruiting Expertise 
Returners are a unique talent pool. As such, they require a unique recruiting process. Does your organization have the internal knowledge and expertise to source, screen, and hire Returners? Having the right approach with the right processes in place is key to a successful Returnship program.   

Length   
Most Returnships last 12-16 weeks. But they can be longer or shorter depending on the size of the cohort, the types of roles filled, and the company's available resources. Larger cohorts, more complex roles, and limited resources like formal training all lend themselves to a longer Returnship period. The key is to figure out the time frame needed to give the Returners the best chance for success.   

Training   
Training is key to the success of any Returnship. There are different types of training that should be considered.   

Job Training   
How are you going to train the new hires on the specific duties of their job? Do you have videos? Will there be someone who is responsible for all of the job training? Will it be a team effort? What about career development once the returners have ramped up? The training piece is key and needs to be figured out before the Returnship starts.   

Office Conduct   
This training covers expectations and acceptable behaviors in the workplace, verbal communication, appropriate business dress and grooming, time management, telephone skills, and general professional behavior.   

Soft Skills   
Findings by Carnegie Mellon Foundation and the Stanford Research Institute International found that 75% of long-term job success depends upon soft skills. Soft skill training includes communication, leadership, critical thinking, listening, adaptability, organization, teamwork, and punctuality.   

Returnship Type   
There are two basic types of returnships, a cohort-style returnship, and a rolling returnship.  

The cohort style is where a company hires a group of returners and they all start together on the same day. The cohort often goes through the entire returnship program together which is usually 12 to 16 weeks. At the end of that time, the company and the returners decide if there is a mutual interest in moving forward with full-time employment.  

The rolling returnship is where a company opens up positions for returners as they come available and hires returners individually after going through the interview and screening process.   

Hiring Manager Buy-In  
Do you have hiring managers who are supportive of returners and the unique perspective they bring?  

Our most successful implementations utilized a screening process to find the managers who were the best fit for the Returnship program. These managers may have had a mother who struggled to return to work after a break or a wife or sister who may currently be on a break. However you find them, including the appropriate hiring managers will help ensure the success of the program. 

OTHER ITEMS TO CONSIDER   

Spouse/Partner/Family Planning   
Since most Returners are female, and often mothers, they are likely the one who has been taking on all the domestic responsibilities at home. So, when they return to work, it can cause a major shift in responsibilities. This needs to be addressed ahead of time.  

Things like daycare, pick-up and drop-off of kids, meal preparation, grocery shopping, bills, etc. Who will take on these responsibilities? Do you hire help? Can you get groceries delivered instead of going to the store? The returner and their family need to have this discussion and come up with a plan before they go back to work.  

We offer a Be Her Ally Workshop to help with this transition. 

Internal Commitment   
Undertaking a comprehensive, successful returnship program takes planning, resources, and buy-in at multiple levels. Does your company have these things in place? What would it take to get them in place? Is diversity and inclusion an integral part of the company? Who would own this initiative? These are all questions that need to be asked and answered before moving forward.   

 
CONCLUSION
Returnships are changing the way companies hire diverse talent. And their impact is not only within the company's talent acquisition efforts but across the entire organization and throughout the community. To put it simply, Returnships impact lives. 

Women Back to Work is the leading provider of customized Full-Service Returnship Programs for medium and large companies across the US and India.