AXIS Network Returners Roundtable
- Saraf Zahid
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
The AXIS Network hosted a focused lunchtime roundtable at OEUK on 18 March to explore the role of returners- individuals re‑entering the workforce after a career break. Returnships is one of our AXIS Vision 2030 steps, which is AXIS’s pathway toward gender equity.
Currently, despite strong qualifications, many returners experience systemic exclusion through outdated recruitment processes, unconscious bias, and inflexible work models. These barriers disproportionately affect women, those from ethnic minority group as well as those who have a protected characteristic.
This AXIS pledge event was hosted by OEUK and facilitated by STEM Returners who brought in Global Underwater Hub (GUH) and ECITB to showcase the power of Returnships.
The event started by emphasising that career breaks occur for many legitimate reasons such as: parenting, caring responsibilities, health, redundancy or relocation, they are a natural part of life. However, a career break does not affect the underlying skills, professional maturity, or problem‑solving capability of the individual.
Yet these individuals often find themselves excluded from conventional recruitment channels. Automated CV filtering, agency processes, rigid experience requirements, and unconscious bias collectively create a locked gate at precisely the moment when industry needs to widen access. OEUK reiterated that returners and broader inclusion form part of its DE&I charter, which commits to attracting and retaining diverse talent, fostering inclusive working environments, and ensuring equitable career progression.
Within AXIS’s Vision 2030, a future where gender equity is normalised, returners represent a pivotal strategic step, sitting alongside other interventions such as flexible working, leadership commitment, sponsorship and transparency around progression. Vision 2030 imagines an industry where organisations like AXIS no longer need to exist; however, current statistics show significant gaps remain. Women hold only 30% of board roles, 18% of executive positions, and just 8% of CEO posts within the energy sector1. The sector cannot afford to lose experienced women to systemic barriers during return‑to‑work transitions.
Mini Nambiar leads Pledge for AXIS and is also a Technical innovation manager for SSE. Mini shared her personal journey of rediscovering her professional voice through AXIS mentoring, illustrating the psychological hurdles returners often face around confidence, identity and belonging. AXIS highlighted how returners align to several steps of its Vision 2030 strategy, especially flexible working, leadership accountability, and transparent progression pathways.
Discussion groups, aligned with STEM Returners’ research, identified eight major barriers: the CV‑gap penalty, unconscious bias, lack of feedback, limited workplace flexibility, hiring manager resistance, assumptions of skill deterioration, reduced confidence, and insufficient support networks. Many returners report submitting dozens of unsuccessful applications prompting 85% to consider leaving the sector entirely2. The consensus was clear: the problem is not effort, it is access.
Evidence presented by STEM Returners showed the effectiveness of structured returnship programmes, which have successfully returned over 650 professionals to STEM roles with a 96% retention rate and strong diversity outcomes2. Their model offers a 12‑week supported placement with mentoring, coaching and inclusive hiring practices at a modest cost to employers. GUH and ECITB shared results from a successful underwater‑sector pilot that placed 11 returners, demonstrating that ring‑fenced roles, hiring manager engagement and tailored onboarding can overcome organisational resistance and deliver high‑value hires.
Participants co‑developed practical recommendations for employers: reviewing ATS and AI filters; rewriting job adverts to explicitly welcome returners; offering structured feedback; training hiring managers; creating buddy and mentoring systems; articulating flexible working clearly; and using internal role‑modelling to shift culture. Embedding these practices can help normalise career breaks and dismantle deeply embedded barriers.
OEUK emphasised that returning to work must not be harder than leaving it. AXIS called on attendees to take these insights back into their organisations, engage senior decision‑makers, and strengthen participation in pledge events to drive systemic change. Feedback was invited on improving turnout and increasing organisational commitment.
Overall, the session highlighted a compelling case: returners are an essential solution to the sector’s skills challenge, a powerful enabler of gender equity, and a catalyst for inclusive cultural transformation. The opportunity now lies in translating awareness into action—ensuring the industry opens its doors to the capable and experienced individuals ready to return.
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