Future Manager Italy Insights

Boomerang Recruitment (ENG)

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Author: Future Manager Research Center

 

A boomerang employee is an employee who leaves the enterprise he/she works for but then later returns to work for the company again.

Not many companies are using the boomerang recruitment, but in the consulting or IT fields it is quite common. Some of these companies have create “Alumni program” to stay in touch with the their ex employees.

The reason behind these programs is that sometimes valuable people leave the company and “burning bridges” may not be the best solution.

Nowadays companies are realizing that relationships don’t necessarily end when employees move on to other opportunities.  In a lifetime there are many working years and people, especially the younger generations, are now desiring the flexibility to pursue other options without burning their past employment bridges.

Indeed, 46% of Millenials, and 33% of Gen X would return to their former workplace.

Pros and cons of Boomerang Recruitment

Hiring back boomerang employees has of course its pros and risks to be taken into consideration.

The pros to consider when hiring a boomerang employee are:

  • Considerable less amount of time in the recruitment and onboarding process.
  • Knowledge of the company culture and smaller amount of training
  • It is a reminder to other employees that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.
  • In their experiences outside the company the employee could have acquired new and useful competences, connections, viewpoints and know how.

33% of HR professionals and 38% of managers agree that already being familiar with the organization’s culture, and fewer training needs, are the biggest benefits to hiring back former employees

The cons to consider when hiring a boomerang employee are:

  • They may need more time than you think in order to acclimate, especially if management, policies, or company culture have changed.
  • They may not actually be the best fit for the new position, regardless of their past performance.
  • If they left on a less-than-high note, boomerang employees have the potential of bringing bad blood back into the office.