Thoughtworks: The Sisyphean Task of Getting Women Back to Work?

Thoughtworks, a global software consulting organization, had received tremendous success and appreciation for its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) culture, policies, and enabling practices. While the progressive DEI policies had increased gender representation, the percentage of women in technology continued to be skewed and not be representative of the larger gender composition in society. To address this gap, Thoughtworks initiated a comprehensive program to help support women returning to work after a career break. Titled "Vapasi", the program was initiated in 2014 and included identifying suitable women and selecting and inducting them for structured technology skills and holistic training. Training over 16 batches across multiple cities, covering 3,500+ registrations, and with less than 4.5% dropout, the program was seen as a progressive and successful step in helping build and sustain women in their careers. The HR and marketing teams of Thoughtworks helped identify potential candidates for the program through multiple sources, before screening and selecting the final cohort. The trainers for the technology skills were mostly volunteer employees from Thoughtworks, while soft skills, mentoring, and psychological support building were offered by external experts. Women who successfully completed the training could apply for appropriate jobs within Thoughtworks or anywhere else in the industry. Thoughtworks had recruited 130 such women from the Vapasi program. The investments in the program did not yield a significantly large number of women joining Thoughtworks. Despite all the support, progressive policies, and best-in-class inclusive environment, there appeared to be multiple barriers hindering women from returning to work. The case presents eclectic perspectives and challenges that learners need to understand as they engage with diversity and inclusion

• Gender
• Diversity and inclusion
• Organizational behavior