A career break is no full stop

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: eternal manpower resource crunch, a comeback is not as difficult as it would have been 5-6 years back. “Companies, in fact, are running programmes for attracting women who have taken breaks and luring them by giving the option of working out of home. The only compromise probably is the time you spend with your family,” she says.

Agrees Shoba Chetty, director, HR, Impetus Technologies, “We believe that giving time-off facilitates fresher outlooks, new perspective and enthusiasm in the workplace. It also helps the employee balance his/her priorities without the stress of having to look for another job or worrying about their career. We have had female employees re- entering the workforce after a career break owing to reasons like family/children, marriage, education, travel, etc. though quantifying the same is difficult.”

Women employees account for around 30% of the total workforce in the IT industry. As per an industry survey, it is expected to go up to 45% in the year 2010. At Impetus also, women employees make up a little over 30% of the total strength. At the managerial level, the percentage is 15% and three of very critical functions, research & development, HR and marketing and communications are headed by women employees.

Says its associate director, marketing and communications, Pooja Sehgal Bansal, “I feel that coming back after a career break is a lot like joining your first job, but without the apprehensions.” She goes on to say that her break gave her a chance to evaluate her team’s performance and decision making abilities in her absence even better.

“In fact, we do not have any bias against an employee who might decide to take a break for personal reasons. We take pride in the fact that the employee decided to stay on with us. This is a reflection of the employee’s belief and faith in us as an organisation, and a manifestation of the strong bond we have with our employees,” says Chetty.

While not too many HR managers think like that, a change in attitude is graduallybeing noticed among private companies.