Womenswear brand Dissh is expanding its return-to-work program for women, as new businesses join the fold to offer paid placements.
Founded in 2021 by skincare brand Alpha-H, The Encoreship was backed by Dissh in 2025, with the brand returning as lead facilitator of the program in 2026.
Lingerie brand Kat the Label is retunring alongside new partners Decjuba and skincare brand Kevin.Murphy. Together, the four Australian businesses will offer paid, three-month placements designed to give women the experience, confidence and a pathway needed to re-enter the workforce, after taking time away to raise a family.
Dissh is offering a people and culture executive position, based at its Brisbane HQ, while Decjuba is offering a social responsibility and sustainability coordinator position at its Melbourne HQ.
Kat the Label has a finance manager role going, and Kevin.Murphy is offering a marketing assistant role.
The Encoreship 2026 opens off the back of significant focus on Dissh’s Paid Parental Leave Program and its four-phase model supporting employees before, during and long after parental leave. This includes an extra two weeks of paid annual leave until the employee’s child turns 12, which can be used flexibly for the everyday demands of raising children. Dissh reported a 140 per cent increase in job applications since introducing the policy.
According to the organisers, there is a swathe of talent out there who are either not in employment or struggling to return. According to the Australian Treasury, women's earnings drop by an average of 55 per cent in the first five years of parenthood, and the gender pay gap climbs to 12.9 per cent by age 30, remaining as high as 31.2 per cent by 60, according to the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA).
Last year’s Encorer Chelsea, who took on a position at Dissh, said the program’s impact reached beyond her own career.
“I’m so proud of the impact it’s had on my daughter and her friends,” Chelsea said. “It started a conversation around the challenges women face, but she saw firsthand that companies like Dissh are making the world a better place for them.
“She saw me show up for myself, and I got to be the role model I always hoped I could be.”