MG Motor India’s initiative to bring women back in the game

To support women in resuming work after a career break, MG (Morris Garages) Motor India has announced ‘Drive Her Back’, a unique programme that enables experienced and qualified women to return to the workplace with dignity and pride. This returnee-ship programme aims to create a diverse pool of highly talented women, whose skills can cater to the needs of MG Motor India.

Under this programme, the selected women will be coached to help settle back into the corporate world and also achieve work-life balance. The internal mentors assigned to them will help them adapt to the corporate environment and also provide them access to networking opportunities and professional development.

Commenting on this programme, Rajeev Chaba, president and managing director -MG Motor India, said, “In India, a majority of women do not resume work after taking a career break. Through the ‘Drive Her Back’ campaign, we are assisting women who wish to reclaim their space in the corporate corridors. Diversity and inclusion are the fundamentals of a successful business and as an organisation, MG endeavours to build a culture that supports these two critical aspects.”

According to industry estimates, it is observed that while 50 per cent of the women resign before the age of 30 to take care of their children, nearly 48 per cent drop out within four months of returning from maternity leave. Speaking on the initiative, Yeshwinder Patial, director-human resources, MG Motor India, said, “Women are an integral part of the workforce at MG Motor India and hold key positions across various critical business functions. MG believes that women resuming work after a career break must be given adequate support to successfully streamline their transition.”

The year-long programme invites women looking to resume their careers with a minimum work experience of two years. Women who have previously worked on technical, strategic and commercially focused projects can apply. Upon completion of the programme, the Company will conduct a structured review of the projects or assignments and may absorb top-performing women within its payroll, subject to the performance and availability of vacancies. The Company has also associated with JobsForHer, one of the largest online job portals for women, for the programme.

In terms of diversity, women already account for 31% of MG’s total , which is a very positive figure. This move is another step in the carmaker’s commitment to its core values of diversity and community.