Infosys relaunches programme to hire women on break in diversity push

To meet its diversity goals, IT services giant Infosys is now inviting employee referrals for its women-specific hiring programme, 'Restart With Infosys', aimed at women professionals looking to return to work after a career break, according to its website.

 

Higher female workforce

 

The initiative by the IT services giant comes at a time when the company is ramping up its efforts to increase the number of women in its workforce.

 

As part of its ESG Vision 2030, the company is now aiming to achieve a 45 per cent female representation in its workforce. According to a report in The Economic Times, data from Infosys' latest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) report shows that women currently constitute 39 per cent of its workforce of about 323,000 people.

 

"This program offers nurturing mentorship and valuable skill development to rebuild their confidence and help them achieve their career aspirations. To show our gratitude, we offer rewards of up to ₹50,000 for successful referrals", the report added.

 

Further, to boost the representation of women in its workforce, Infosys is also offering incentives of ₹10,000 on successful closure of referrals to positions at job level 3 (JL3), ₹25,000 at JL 4, ₹35,000 at JL 5 and ₹50,000 at JL 6.

 

According to Infosys’ chief human resource officer (CHRO) Shaji Mathew, Infosys' ESG vision has inclusion at its core. "One of our programs, for example, encourages talented women in tech who’ve taken career breaks to 'Restart with Infosys' and re-enter the workforce.”

 

In FY24-25, as many as 900 women were hired in the mid-management role, with the help of the initiative, Infosys' CHRO told The Economic Times, further adding, "It’s a significant step in fostering inclusion at scale. This program is an investment in our commitment to diversity, not just for our own business but for our industry to grow in women's participation."

 

Eligibility

 

To be eligible for the programme, candidates are required to have a minimum of two years of work experience and be on a continuous break for at least six months, the report added, citing a mail to the employees.

 

Further, the IT services giant may be looking to fill jobs, ranging from Java, .net, SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Pegasus, React, Python, Angular, Informatica, and Selenium Testing across developer, tech lead, and manager positions

 

Companies look to hire women with a career break

 

Restart with Infosys is not the only programme, aiming to hire a female workforce who have had a career break.  Earlier in February this year, Tata Technologies launched its 'Reignite 2025' programme to empower women engineers to return to work. The programme is a gender diversity-focused hiring initiative designed to support women engineers in resuming their careers after a break.

 

The programme helps women professionals re-enter the workforce by helping them bridge the skill gaps.

 

HCLTech launched its 'Returnship' programme, specially designed for women who were planning to re-enter the workforce.

 

Accenture India's 'Career Reboot' programme aimed to target the same group. According to Accenture's website, the programme provides women a nurturing environment, mentorship, and development opportunities for women returning to work after a break. It also allows them to explore full-time and internship opportunities.

 

Wipro also launched a similar programme, 'Begin Again', which is the company's Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) initiative designed to support women who are ready to return to the workforce after a break.