Boomerang employees, also called rehires or alumni hires, are employees that leave their employer and then come back. It could be months or even years later, and it doesn’t have to necessarily be in the same position.
The workplace trend of returning to a former employer started a few years ago in 2022 when employees regretting job hopping at the beginning of the Great Resignation decided to return to their previous employer with a mentality that maybe the grass isn’t always greener. Additionally, employers needed to rehire many of the staff they had laid off at the beginning of the pandemic and were now looking to those former employees for fast and efficient hiring and onboarding.
Although originally thought to be just post-covid aftermath, industry experts are now saying the trend is not going away anytime soon, and the percentage of onboarded employees classified as rehires is continuing to rise each year.
Surveys say that 48% of employees state that they would consider returning to a previous employer. Why are employee’s so keen on returning to an employer they left? In some cases, employees will leave to gain new skills and experience that opens new doors not previously available to them. Now that they have these skills, they are looking to return and usually in some sort of promotion. Some may be looking to return due to personal situations, changes, or even family. It could be that they changed jobs to an unstable work environment or a job that had poor work-life balance. They realize that their previous employer was not that bad and many of them just want to return to what is familiar and comfortable. Employees could also reach the end of the career advancement available to them in their current role and are looking to return to their previous employer at a higher level to continue advancing their career.
There are also other reasons why an employer would want to rehire a past employee other than increased business after layoffs. It takes far less time and money to recruit and onboard past employees because you have already built a relationship with them, and they can be reboarded and trained again quickly with a shorter learning curve. They have also proven their work ethic, can quickly familiarize themselves with the organization’s social systems, and have an increased sense of loyalty to the company. All of these things are great for long-term retention and higher engagement.
Another important aspect employers consider is that past employees are usually already great culture fits which can be a difficult thing to match when hiring brand new employees. When you bring back a well-liked employee on good terms it can be good for morale. They also tend to outperform new hires. As previously mentioned, many employees come back with new and enhanced skills and a fresh perspective and the combination of this and their previous knowledge of the company adds a lot of value.
As enticing as hiring a boomerang employee may be given the benefits and ease, there are some downfalls, and it is still important to proceed with caution. Some current employees may feel a sense of potential resentment towards the returning employee and not want them back so make sure to address all team dynamic issues before making the decision to rehire. There could also be some favoritism sensed by other employees with the rehiring of the boomerang employee so you will want to address those as well. Some potential risks in hiring boomerang employee’s include complacency and lack of motivation and the returning of bad habits. From the employer end, aim to avoid an over-reliance on familiarity; don’t do it just because you are familiar with the employee, make sure it is because they were a good employee in the first place. Lastly, the company and the employee may have different expectations when returning especially if the company or the employee has changed a lot during the employee’s separation. So just be sure to set the expectations for what’s changed with the rehired employee and check in with them as well.
The best thing you can do to create a boomerang-friendly culture is focus on a positive offboarding experience. If employees have a good experience on their last days, they are more likely to have thoughts about returning in the future. You can do this by celebrating the employee’s new opportunity and acknowledging and showing gratitude for the contributions the employee has made.
In addition to great offboarding, creating an alumni network or community for your former employees can be helpful especially for large companies. In fact, experts recommend keeping communication with past employees and doing a check in every six months for five years after the employee departs. This keeps them in the know about new opportunities they may be interested in and makes them feel like the door is always open. In conclusion, the main thing to consider when rehiring a boomerang employee is why they left, why they are returning, and just as with any new hire, ask yourself if this is still a good match for the company and the employee?
Sources:
Consulting, A. (2024, September 19). Rehiring former employees: The Boomerang Effect in 2024.
Kinne, A. (2024, July 25). What is a boomerang employee? learn why you should hire former talent. Workhuman.
Knupp, D. (2024, September 13). What is a boomerang employee?
Lucas, S. (2024, June 17). Boomerang employees: Should you target them?. Recruiting Resources: How to Recruit and Hire Better.
McGlauflin, P. (2024, September 3). Boomerang employees could be the secret to recruiting high-quality talent in a cooling labor market. HR Brew.
By Lauren Cromie, courtesy of SBAM-approved partner, ASE.
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