How One Firm Made Its Return-to-Work Program a Second Chance Pipeline

Episode 35 of The Diversity Career Podcast explores how one large professional services firm turned its return-to-work program into a genuine second-chance pipeline for professionals who took extended career breaks — especially women and underrepresented groups re-entering after caregiving, health issues, or layoffs. Lucas and Luna unpack the specific design choices that made the program successful: a paid 12-week 're-onboarding' period with a dedicated coach, project-based rather than permanent placement initially, and a deliberate culture shift to destigmatize resume gaps. They cite data from the firm's internal tracking showing that 78% of participants converted to full-time roles, and that retention among those hires was 15% higher than the firm's average for experienced hires. The hosts also discuss the challenge of scaling such programs without diluting quality, and what other employers can learn from this model. #ReturnToWork #CareerBreaks #SecondChanceHiring #WomenInBusiness #UnderrepresentedProfessionals #InclusiveHiring #ResumeGap #Caregiving #ProfessionalServicesFirm #ReOnboarding #CareerPivot #DiversityAndInclusion #TalentPipeline #Retention #Careers #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheDiversityCareerPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo