Wondering how to attract boomerang employees and make the most of their familiarity with your organization? There are good reasons to rehire past employees who left on good terms, the most important of which is the relationship of trust that has already been built with them.
A boomerang recruitment strategy isn’t well-suited to every business equally, but there can be advantages to rehiring the talent that once moved their careers forward at your organization. Many employees leave a business on good terms, parting for reasons such as pursuing their degree or starting a family. If their initial run at the business was a positive one, welcoming them back into the organization can make it much easier to skip the initial job jitters and “get-to-know-you” phase of the hiring process and jump straight to productivity. If you’re hoping to rehire past employees who made a good first impression, there are a few strategies to consider.
If you’re keen on keeping a close eye on former hires, knowing how to attract boomerang employees can come in handy. (Image: Freepik)
How to Attract Boomerang Employees: Rehiring Former Employees Can Be a Beneficial Strategy
Some employees leave due to poor performance or behavior in the workplace, and bringing such workers back isn’t usually recommended. On the other hand, a good employee is hard to replace, and a great employee is even harder to entice back. Rehiring former employees can feel like an unnecessary process in many cases, but when you consider the expensive and time-consuming task of finding, negotiating with, and then training a new candidate, the pros of boomerang employees might start to feel a little more appealing.
There are many situations where employees showcase a willingness to return. Their experience operating within the business gives them a leg up compared to fresh hires, as there is little need to retrain them on most practices. They only need to bring them up to speed with a refresher on practices and policies.
A survey by MyPerfectResume found that 55% of workers believe that returning to a former employer is a smart career move, showing that there often is interest in working with an ex-employer again. In some situations, employees don’t reach out to ask for their roles back, but a little nudge is enough to convince them to return.
Why Would Employees Return to the Company?
A boomerang recruitment strategy can only work when you understand how employees feel about returning to their jobs and what it would take to bring them back. Employees frequently leave due to their dissatisfaction with an employer or the management team, despite appreciating other facets of working for the organization. In other cases, employees miss their former colleagues, but only with changes to the work culture or benefits would they consider making a return.
Understanding these facts and making necessary changes is key to devising a strategy to rehire ex-employees. As evidence of this, the aforementioned survey found that 67% of workers would return to their old jobs with a change in leadership or if they were promised a good work-life balance. About 25% might return if they saw career growth opportunities at their former employers. With the job market today, employees are more willing to reconnect with an organization rather than chase uncertainties, making it mutually beneficial to both parties.
The report also looked at aspects that would prevent an employee from returning. About 5% of employees considered returning to a former employer as a sign of failure. About 19% felt that their bad memories at the workplace would prevent them from returning, while 9% stated that they would prefer gaining new experiences over old ones. These are legitimate reasons why some employees may not make a return and should be kept in mind while negotiating with an employee to return to their desks.
How to Attract Boomerang Employees Who Are Worth Going the Extra Mile For
If employees have a proven track record of good behavior and performance, the pros of seeing them boomerang back as employees are worth going the extra mile to rehire them. In some situations, the employee might choose not to return even after a good offer is made. Even in such situations, a positive reconnecting experience with the employer is enough to lead to them make a referral to other candidates who might be just as good a fit.
If you want to rehire ex-employees, the strategy can involve a few considerations:
- Fix your exit process and part with employees on good terms to leave them with a positive impression of the business
- Conduct exit interviews with each employee so you understand their situation, ambitions, and reasons for leaving the organization
- If employees frequently quit for similar reasons, understand the problem to determine what needs to change
- To reconnect with a specific employee, explore their reasons for leaving, and evaluate if the circumstances remain unchanged
- Regularly review and make concrete improvements to management and company culture
- Reach out to the employee to understand their situation and test the waters
- If an employee is open to discussions, they understand what it would take to return
- Offer employees a more senior position than they held when they left the organization
- Be realistic about what you can offer to potential employees, as making promises that cannot be upheld will have them quit again
- Highlight opportunities for career growth and provide a clear strategy for how they will be supported in their journey
- Maintain an alumni network of employees so you can reach out to rehire past employees or ask them to connect you to other potential candidates
A Boomerang Recruitment Strategy Is a Must for Any Business to Have Ready, Just in Case
Organizations should not center their hiring strategy around rehiring former employees, as this would leave them with a very limited pool of candidates to hire from. Despite this, having a strategy to rehire ex-employees when it is needed can come in handy in a pinch or in situations where former employees actively reach out.
Maintaining a workforce isn’t just about managing the workers who are currently on the payroll. It also involves nurturing relationships even after an employee’s exit, and creating the right conditions for the arrival of new hires.
What do you think about rehiring former employees? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.
