O4S, a supply chain SaaS start-up, has introduced the ‘Career Relaunch 2.0’ programme, as part of its diversity and inclusion (D&I) agenda.
The programme will help women on a sabbatical get back into the active corporate workforce smoothly. To help these women on a career break regain their confidence and refresh their talent, O4S will provide structured onboarding, focused mentoring, flexible work options, and job learning to the candidates.
The startup has received more than $10 Million in funding in the past few years and hopes to invest the capital in attracting the right talent.
Divay Kumar, co-founder & CEO, O4S, points out that, gender biases and wage gap are topics that “tend to obscure the need for initiatives to support women to relaunch their careers”. He hopes that the Career Relaunch 2.0 programme will “provide a launchpad to women technologists who have had an extended absence from work due to unavoidable circumstances. This step enables a smooth transition to the workspace with structure and support”.
He further explains that this is the Company’s way of encouraging women “to pursue their career goals” and that “at O4S, we believe that a pause in a career does not mean a full stop.”
O4S, which is based in Gurugram and has presence in over 15 countries, is working to create a culture that encourages equal opportunities and empathy. Its founders believe that women who wish to resume work represent a motivated talent pool and are capable of driving the necessary growth. Therefore, it is the Company’s endeavour to offer the right environment to address their concerns and close specific skills gaps.
This move will help O4S increase the diversity ratio at work. It is planning to take on over 70 women employees by March 2022.
The programme is expected to bring about a culture change in the tech industry in India by erasing the stereotypes that accompany a woman returning from a career break.
Launched in 2017, O4S has managed to raise over $10Mn so far. Its multi-module platform, which enables traceability, automation across manufacturing, warehouses and retail networks uses artificial intelligence, machine learning and internet of things (IoT). It helps optimise downstream supply chain operations, trade promotion, consumer engagement, and brand protection.
