PwC expands return to work scheme

PWC has increased the number of places on its ‘Back to Business’ return to work programme tenfold to help get more  women back into the workplace after career breaks.

The 16 week paid senior return to work programme, which  aims to help bring senior professional women back into the workplace who have had a career break of more than two year, started in PwC’s deals business at the end of last year and due to its success is being extended to all of the firm’s business areas. Three quarters of the first intake have taken on permanent roles in PwC’s deals business.

Back to Business is designed to help the transition back into the workplace and offers people the chance to work on client projects, upgrade their skills and broaden their professional network. At the end of the 16 weeks there is the opportunity to apply for a permanent role.

The programme is part of PwC’s wider efforts to improve diversity at all levels of its business and ensure a strong and sustainable pipeline of future women leaders. Other steps taken include getting the firm’s business leaders to set gender and ethnicity targets for the next three years, becoming one of the first organisations to publicly report its gender pay gap analysis, and offering shared parental leave to all employees.

Laura Hinton, head of people and executive board member at PwC, said: “The success of our first Back to Business programme confirms that there are many talented women who want to return to work, but find it difficult to do so via normal recruitment routes due to the gap in their CV. We want to challenge the perception that a career gap is a bad thing and help women feel confident as they resume their careers.”