Why Axis Bank is keen to hire homemakers

Axis Bank has announced a special hiring drive for homemakers. The initiative called “HouseWorkIsWork” aims to rope in talent for their human resources function. In its pilot stage, the Bank is looking to hire 15 women through this drive.

The minimum qualification to apply for a position is a graduate degree. Prior work experience is no bar.

Rajkamal Vempati, president and head – human resources, Axis Bank, tells HRKatha that the thought behind designing “HouseWorkIsWork” was triggered when they received a unique resume from a homemaker

“A candidate, Pallavi Sharma, sent us an innovative resume that included the work she did at home as important experience. This nudged us to rethink our hiring heuristics and hire this applicant to drive the initiative,” she informs.

In her CV, which Sharma sent directly to Vempati, she stated her work experience as ‘head of Sharma residence’, listing her key resource area as management of finance and HR and heading the learning and development. Pallavi Sharma is now working as a campaign specialist in HR and DE&I for Axis.

Vempati points out that time invested on self and on family often goes unrecognised and is categorised as a ‘break’ both by recruiters and candidates alike. “Homemakers dedicate most of their lives to activities such as budgeting, housekeeping, learning and development (of children), and handling the salary and remuneration (of household staff). They are the pillars of diversity, equity and inclusion within the fundamental unit of a family,” says Vempati suggesting, “We need a paradigm shift in our mindsets to ensure that skills honed at home are seen as valuable assets at the workplace”.

Women of all ages are encouraged to apply for the jobs. Even those who identify as men but were born female, or women whose sex assigned at birth is ‘male’ can also apply.

“Homemakers dedicate most of their lives to activities such as budgeting, housekeeping, learning and development of children, and handling the salary and remuneration of household staff. They are the pillars of diversity, equity and inclusion within the fundamental unit of a family”

Rajkamal Vempati, president and head – human resources, Axis Bank

With this initiative, the Bank is trying to encourage women who had left their professional endeavours to tend to their families or even cater to personal issues, to return to the active workforce. Vempati believes that organisations, for generations, have unfairly undervalued women who have taken a professional break to pursue certain ambitions or to take care of family.

“Time is ripe for us to rid ourselves of meaningless stereotypes and look at this talent pool through the lens of talent and ambition, rather than focussing on their life-stage events. With this initiative, we are urging women to bring to us the wealth of talent they possess so that we can grow together,” she adds.

Candidates who apply would be judged on their communication skills and ability to handle pressure and meet deadlines. As a prerequisite for the job, the Company requires the applicants to possess a mobile device with a required Android/ iOS version. The roles and functions in which the selected candidates are to operate will be decided on the basis of their personal qualifications and abilities.

Asking women to “Acknowledge your experience, join us,” Vempati states that Axis Bank has made the right start by “challenging the unfair advantage given to men in the selection process” and “welcoming women who are seeking to propel their corporate career”.