Many sectors, such as hospitality and tourism, are still going through great challenges. Recently, returner programmes have become significantly more popular as furlough is to end in September 2021. Moreover, a report prepared by WPI Strategy for Vodafone shows why those programmes are necessary. Especially for women. If you want to find out why, keep reading!
What is a returners programme?
A returners programme aims to help out both the employer and the employee. It gives an employer the opportunity to access resources and a group of highly motivated workers who want to return to work after a career break.
Likewise, the programme offers the employee a re-introduction to the workplace and develop their industry-specific skills. Many employees decided to take part in those programmes seeing the furlough is to end this coming September.
For example, HIT Scotland (Hospitality Industry Trust) and STA (Scottish Tourism Alliance) delivered the Tourism and Hospitality Talent Development Programme in February 2021 to develop top talent that will lead the industry through recovery.
Returning to work
Here are some of the effects a longer time off work can have both on men and women.
- Coming back to work after a long break causes loss in confidence
According to the report by WPI Strategy for Vodafone UK, up to 37% of workers experience loss of confidence in their ability after a year-long break or more from work. This number is based on the 1,000 workers that were surveyed who had been off for a year.
- Women find it harder to come back to work than man
To break down the 37% by gender, women (43%) are almost as twice as likely as men (24%) to doubt their own ability and lack the confidence to return to work.
- Women are more likely to take a career break for caring responsibilities
Juggling work and caring responsibilities was a challenge for 41% of the returners. Thirty percent of those were men and 45% were women. Again, women are more likely to sacrifice their career to focus on caring responsibilities. This may explain why they are unsure of their abilities and feel less confident about returning to work.
- Cost of childcare is an obstacle
Forty percent of the returners agreed that covering the costs of childcare is a problem. Once again, more women (46%) have cited this as a challenge in comparison to men (23%). It relates to the fact that women are more likely to stay home and become a carer. Unable to afford childcare, women lose the opportunity to drive their career forward.
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Why are returner programmes necessary?
Looking at the report it's clear to see how an extended time of work can affect a person. It shows the need for support to those re-entering the workspace. Especially women, who face more challenges than men.
It's crucial to remember that women are more likely to become the carer and will have to balance work with other responsibilities so may require extra support from employers.
Returner programmes allow the employees to develop and enhance their skills as well as re-integrate into the workspace. They enable the returners to grow their confidence before going back to work and get necessary tools to give the best performance from themselves.
So, if you're ready to get back to work and hospitality seems like a sector for you, have a look at some of the job opportunities on our website!