UNite HER Job Fair To Encourage Women To Return To Work

Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) Signatories (Aspire For Her, Capgemini, Havas Group, Natwest Group, Zensar Technologies, [24]7.ai ) in India together with UN Women are organising UNite HER job fair, to implement commitments jointly made at the WEPs Action Dialogue series. Facilitated by UN Women, and led by WEPs signatories, the Dialogue Series was held in December 2022 and committed to bring women back to work by providing access to jobs, mentorship and networking opportunities.

Returning to work after a sabbatical can be both exciting and challenging, especially for women. But bouncing back after a career break often requires careful planning, confidence-building, strategic actions, and the availability of decent opportunities. 

As far as the last is concerned, there is good news. According to a survey, there has been a 15% rise in job opportunities for women returning to work, across sectors such as healthcare, education, financial services, and technology. Both the public and private sectors are looking to harness the under-utilized potential of women.

Job Fair for Women on Career Breaks

One such initiative is UNite HER Job Fair by UN’s WEPs Signatories for women who took a career break. The job fair will connect women to employers and allow them to showcase their skills and experiences through on-the-spot interviews. This will allow employers to reduce the cost of the hiring process while also promoting inclusivity and diversity.  

“Havas strongly believes that an equal workforce is an equitable workforce, to achieve this we aim to embrace all aspects of diversity across all levels, which also includes acknowledging women on career breaks,” says Vandana Tilwani, Chief HR Officer of Havas Group India. “The Havas ‘Bounce Back” program aims to ensure a smooth transition for women returning to the workforce. Our efforts are strengthened through this collaboration with UN Women for the “UNite Her” job fair. We are looking forward to making a meaningful difference for women returning to work.”

Shalini Arora, who heads the Everyday Banking Technology Team at NatWest India, said their Re-invest program is focused on women's re-entry into the workforce. Since its launch in 2016, the NatWest India DEI council has enabled 100 women to join full-time positions in various roles, including managerial positions, by providing them with the right guidance and support to enhance their skills.

“At Natwest Group, we maintain an overall gender balance of 40% and are committed to equitable practices, such as hybrid working environments, best-in-market leave policies, flexible working, and a culture of inclusivity.  We are excited to partner with UN Women and “Aspire for Her” for the “UNite HER” job fair, which is a great opportunity to bring together our collective efforts to enable women on career breaks to re-enter the workforce,” Arora says.

Zensar Technologies, one of the participating WEPs signatories, runs an initiative called Enliven within their organisation to help women return to the workforce.

“We have already inducted a set of talented women associates as a part of the initiative and look forward to adding more to the team. This team leads the technical learning function of Zensar and ensures all employees are upskilled and reskilled on a regular basis to meet our client demands,” says Priya Singh, Head of Tech Learning, Zensar. “We are constantly trying to learn and become more gender-diverse and inclusive.”

Nina Nair of [24]7.ai, adds, “We have been working with the UN women empowerment programs for some years now and we launched the Dialogue series at 24/7. We have also worked with Aspire for Her which is a signatory of the WEPs. We are committed to not just bring women back to work but also retain them.

“This is a very proud moment for us as we see the commitment of UN WEPs signatories translating into action through the UNite HER Job Fair and mentoring platform. The private sector is one of our key allies in strengthening economic opportunities for women” says Suhela Khan, Country Programme Manager, Women Economic Empowerment (WEE), UN Women India.

Madhura DasGupta Sinha, Founder & CEO, of Aspire For Her shares her take on what the job fair can mean for women not just from the perspective of gaining a new job, but also a new experience in their lives. "At Aspire For Her, we're adding a million women to the workforce by 2025. A very important part of our community is the returning women, the women who have taken a break and now wish to get back into the workforce. This Job Fair is especially for them; we want to offer them not just job opportunities but opportunities to build their profile, opportunities to regain their confidence, and to start a new chapter in their lives with renewed vigour and optimism."

The job fair is supported by Shaili Chopra, Founder, Shethepeopletv and Nisary Mahesh, Founder,  HerMoneyTalks who are also WEPs signatories in India.

The Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) are a set of Principles offering guidance to businesses on how to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in the workplace, marketplace and community. Established by UN Women and UN Global Compact, the WEPs are informed by international labour and human rights standards and grounded in the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and responsibility for, gender equality and women’s empowerment. 

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