Rachna feels she has a lot to celebrate after successfully re-entering the workforce following a 10-year break to raise her two daughters – to find a diverse new world full of opportunities at Amazon.
“It was an eye-opening environment to be in,” she says.
I have now found an organisation that celebrates different cultures and has a huge focus on mental wellness. I have never worked at another organisation that supports their employees in such a way. It’s a much better world in my view.
Rachna, 53, joined Amazon Australia as a casual in Receive, before progressing to learning trainer at its Ravenhall fulfilment centre a year ago, and admits she had some reservations about how she may be received, given she had taken such a long break from her career.
“With Amazon, I felt that I was not discriminated against for taking time off to raise my family. I was given equal opportunity, not just in terms of their recruitment process but also in terms of furthering my learning and working on different projects,” she says.
Rachna took maternity leave from an executive role at a corporate office in New Zealand where she was living with her husband when she became a mum, first with daughter Saanvi, now 16, and then with Samaira, now 13.
“I wanted to spend time with them because I had them so late in life, and at that point I didn’t want to leave them in childcare,” she says, “My priority was family first; work later.”
It was a decision Rachna never regretted, but she did worry that it may impact her career. Fortunately, she found that her choice to be a stay-at-home mum, didn’t prove to be a handicap at Amazon.
“Amazon is a very flexible organisation and there is a strong focus on inclusivity, equality and equity. There are so many people from different cultures and backgrounds, so there is diversity everywhere and the managers are very empathetic and understanding,” she says.
“I had to learn new things, and I wasn’t using technology much when I was at home, so I had to upskill myself in every field. But learning new things was an adrenalin rush, and I’m thoroughly enjoying my time here.”
Rachna says she found it very stimulating being back in the workforce, and discovering how much had changed since she became a mum, and now loves helping her colleagues achieve their best in her role as a learning ambassador.
“Gender doesn’t hold you back at all at Amazon,” she says, pointing to how many women have recently started driving forklifts at their site.
There is no differentiation between men and women when it comes to work and when it comes to providing them with tools to succeed. I see women working as hard as the men and they are provided equal support and tools, whether it’s technology, learning or support.
She says the inclusive and supportive work environment she found at Amazon gives her a lot to celebrate on International Women’s Day, and she hopes women will continue to be empowered to have equitable means and tools to break stereotypes around the world.
“To me International Women’s Day, means not She, Her but We,” says Rachna, who is encouraging her two daughters to reach for the stars, including fully supporting 16-year-old Saanvi in her dream of becoming a Formula One structural calculation engineer.
