Returnships: Tech firms offer path back to office

Washington

TECH companies have tried every-thing to boost the low numbers of women in their ranks. Massive grants aimed at high-tech scholarships for girls and students of colour. Longer parental leave perks for new moms and dads. Even benefits that pay for women who want to delay childbearing to freeze their eggs.

Now a growing number of both large and small tech companies are borrowing an idea from Wall Street banks: The "returnship", which brings in mid-career women (and men) who've taken time out of the workplace to care for family, offering them a path back to the office.

Last week, a non-profit called Path Forward announced that six San Francisco-based tech companies, including domain registrar GoDaddy, customer service software maker Zendesk and groc…