The ServiceNow Returnship Event kicked off with an introduction from Sonu Ratra, co-founder of Akraya and founder of Women Back to Work (WBW). The event was focused on facilitating the re-entry of women back into the workforce who have paused their careers for reasons such as childcare, relocation to a new country, or more recently, due to the pandemic.

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.

Many of the companies we speak to have tried hiring returners on their own. The conversation with them is usually the same. They’ve created a Returnship program with a team to support it, they’ve added a page to their website, maybe given the program a cute name like “(insert company name) ReLaunch”, identified some roles dedicated just for the program, shared on social media, and then waited for the applications...which never come.

Akraya Co-founder and President Sonu Ratra launched the organization’s Women Back to Work initiative that has become a movement within the industry, enabling companies, MSPs and leaders to hire diverse technical talent.

Sonu Ratra started on the DE&I journey at a very young age. She was raised in India – with its multitude of cultures and varied groups – by parents who instilled in her the value of every human being, regardless of background or ethnicity. Those beliefs held her in good stead when she went on to co-found technology staffing company Akraya.