Return to work - aka - PR stunt

Returnships are Orgs "STAR" gimmick to appear inclusive. Sounds great on paper but far from reality. You got to ask - Are they (Returnship Programs) genuinely designed to reintegrate professionals, or are they just PR stunts? If returnships aren’t backed by real support, they’re just a way to exploit cheap labor.

This about this: Lets say X person (with gender Y) is now considering - returning to work, would you value X's tech background from years ago - or would you treat them as a newbie as tech has super evolved and X is outdated. - Whatsoever X did learn, survived, and successfully pulled off - would you count that?

• From a 3 hour interview you will assess the learning ability, potential, stack rank X against your current talent pool and then the judgement is delivered.
• Would your assessment change if it was from a particular gender from a particular age group?
• Would you be hard or discount candidates simply because they took time off for self? or are you more comfortable hearing family as a default?
• How do you truly know a 45-year-old returning mother can or can’t adapt as fast as a 25-year-old?
• Why is “potential” always linked to youth?
• How many of you are doing your bit to offer crash introductions to help cover the gaps and a slower start instead of saying start from scratch again at 45 with over 20 years of experience?

PR stunt and exploitation game - is what it will always be, until we hear "real" stories from the people. I will leave you with this to mull on.

PS: Don't sell me the story of "oh! I know this uncle who is now doing some data entry work making 7k working from a phone - who would have hired him" .. THIS exactly is my problem.

To "Returning" job seekers: I am sorry, we suck as a collective. To orgs: You know why.