Embracing ‘Boomerang’ Employees and Getting Top Talent Back
The article discusses the 2021 "great resignation" where over 50 million employees left their jobs seeking flexibility, remote work, and higher pay, leading to a 2023 trend of companies welcoming back "boomerang" employees—those who return to previous employers—due to factors like regret, life changes, or career exploration, highlighting the benefits of re-hiring experienced talent to boost morale and strengthen company culture.
One of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is referred to as “the great resignation.” During this time, which began in 2021, employees resigned from their positions en masse. According to some estimates, more than 50 million employees voluntarily left their roles, resulting in a mad scramble for talent.
Some of the factors driving the mass resignation event included a desire for enhanced flexibility, particularly in scheduling, remote or hybrid work, and higher pay. But a percentage of these individuals regretted their decision, resulting in an attempt to return to the company they left behind.
Embracing returning team members was a 2023 hiring trend. Now we’re diving into why these employees want to come back, what to consider, and the benefits of welcoming them into the fold.
What is a ‘Boomerang’ Employee?
The term “boomerang employee” refers to someone who left their role and came back to the organization. Considering that the average employee tenure with a company is about five years, it makes sense that they might return to a company they worked for previously during their approximate 40-year professional run.
Why Employees Might Return to Previous Employers
A significant portion of those who quit their jobs believe that the previous role was better than their current one. People in this situation might be more excited about a return to their previous employer, which can boost morale and strengthen the company culture.
Other factors influencing decisions to return to previous employers include life situation changes, such as having children or caring for an ill family member or exploring another industry. An employee might choose to pursue a passion, taking time away from work during that period. Some people work seasonally, while others relocate temporarily based on climate conditions. These situations can all lead to boomerang employees.
The Benefits of Embracing Returning Employees
There are certainly benefits that come along with embracing former team members who want to rejoin the company. Some of these advantages include:
- Familiarity with the expectations, responsibilities and job overall
- A well-established relationship with the employer, which can boost retention and loyalty
- An increased likelihood of understanding and aligning with the company culture
- A less time-consuming onboarding process
Depending on their reasoning for leaving and what they did during the period away, returning employees may bring additional viewpoints and skills that can benefit your company.
Considerations of Rehiring Boomerang Employees
Of course, not every employee who resigned from their role will be a good fit to return. It’s worth considering what they will bring to the team and whether their presence will benefit the organization.
If a former employee left on a negative note, a return could create bad feelings in the workplace. Even remote workers may have trouble with tasks that involve collaboration or delegation from an individual who spoke negatively about the company or participated in other toxic behaviors.
Make sure to consider other applicants before determining whether the previous team member is the best fit. It’s easy to overlook well-qualified candidates when someone who is already trained and familiar with the processes requests to come back.
Understand why the employee chose to leave to get a sense of whether they will be happy working for the company once again. If they felt dissatisfied with aspects of business leadership or team workflows, they might become a higher flight risk if their concerns haven’t been resolved.
Maximize Your Hiring Efforts with ApplicantStack
Whether you choose to bring back boomerang employees or widen the search to include a range of candidates, ApplicantStack can make the hiring process go more smoothly. It includes tools to make communication with candidates easier, keeping everyone on the same page. Plus, you can share your open positions on multiple job posting sites with a single click to cast a wider net.
Take advantage of these and other helpful recruiting and onboarding features built into the platform when you start your free trial.
Related
How to Reduce Employee Turnover and Improve Retention
The article discusses how businesses must go beyond pay to reduce employee turnover by fostering valued, balanced, and growth-oriented work environments, especially in light of the Great Resignation where factors like poor treatment, lack of benefits, and work-life imbalance led over 47 million Americans to quit their jobs, causing significant financial and productivity losses.
4 Strategies to Integrate New Hires into Your Company
The article emphasizes the importance of effectively integrating new hires to reduce costly turnover by addressing common reasons for dissatisfaction—such as unrealistic expectations and insufficient training—and recommends strategies like immediate onboarding with communication, cultural introduction, timely equipment provision, and early engagement to enhance employee retention and productivity.
Why You Should Invest in Your Recruiting Program
Investing in a strong recruiting program is essential for organizations of all sizes because it ensures the efficient hiring of top talent through a comprehensive process—including job analysis, candidate sourcing, screening, interviewing, assessment, and onboarding—which ultimately builds capable teams that enhance operational efficiency and customer service.
Construction Hiring: Building a Stronger Construction Workforce
Despite steady job growth and strong demand in construction, hiring skilled workers remains challenging due to competition, economic factors, and industry perceptions, prompting experts to recommend strategies like clearly defining company culture to attract and retain talent in this expanding sector.
Solving the Nursing Shortage | ApplicantStack
The U.S. nursing shortage, driven by rising demand from an aging population, insufficient nursing school graduations, and exacerbated by high turnover and burnout, threatens patient care and healthcare efficiency, prompting organizations to adopt solutions like ApplicantStack to streamline hiring and improve nurse recruitment and retention.
Hiring Hourly Employees at Scale: Challenges and Best Practices - ApplicantStack
The article discusses how over 80 million U.S. hourly workers, primarily in service and industrial sectors like healthcare, retail, and manufacturing, present unique hiring challenges such as recruiting inefficiencies, slow processes, seasonal demand, and retention issues, and emphasizes that adopting best practices—starting with clear, engaging job descriptions—can help businesses effectively hire hourly employees at scale.