BOOMERANG EMPLOYEES - Back in the pool.

Repatriation (Excerpts from my presentation to an HR Association, 1/4/2011)

BOOMERANG EMPLOYEES - Back in the pool.

Definition: A Boomerang employee is one who returns to a company after working elsewhere.

The widest and most diligent recruitment or search assignment should not overlook one’s own alumni.

PROS:

Can hit the ground running. Lower training costs.

Employee feels at home. They know how you do business.

Sends a message to other employees that the grass is not greener elsewhere.

CONS:

May take a company away from diversity hiring if used in isolation of other hiring practices.

Sends a message to other employees that you may be rewarded if you leave and return.

Raises questions of re-instating benefits.

DISCUSSION:

·????????An article in the LA discussed that “a good employee who left, acquired new skills and experience, and came back, can be an extraordinarily good deal for a company.”

·????????A leading consulting firm, Booz-Allen, often finds that alumni return to their organization.

·????????PriceWaterhouseCoopers keeps in touch with alumni through regular communication.?They see the alumni as an asset to bring new hires on board via referrals, or to repatriate them back into the fold.

·????????A thorough employment record left behind by an exiting employee can be a roadmap of what to expect from a known entity rather than an unknown prospective employee.

·????????Naturally, in considering re-hires, you can select only the best of your alumni as candidates to create a super-star team.

·????????If you don’t want to lose your leverage by actively seeking out a former employee, supply your outside recruiter with a list of top prospects to feel them out about returning.

·????????Consider re-hiring your own retirees on a part time basis.

·????????Can create a multi-generational workforce.

·????????Lower hiring costs.

·????????What about employees that left during the pandemic to “find themselves” during The Great Resignation? Did they acquire skills that could aid the growth of your department?

ALTERED VISION:

Can cause you to structure your Human Resources process and exit interview towards a known policy of hiring former employees.

DANGERS:

Scope out why the employee left in the first place to make sure that the motivation for leaving is no longer valid.?Has the job changed since the employee initially left??Have the expectations changed?

How to Spot Your Next Boomerang

·????????Top performers who voluntarily left.

·????????Top performers who were in key positions.

·????????Top performers with key skills, contacts, or experience.

·????????Retirees who may not have found retirement to be all it was cracked up to be.

·????????Top finalists who accepted another job.?These people can be called in the first week of their new jobs and after three months in order to see if they made a mistake in leaving your team (buyer’s remorse). This might seem silly, but if you think about it, how many times have you heard of individuals state that they realized on the first day that the job change was a mistake?

·????????Long term consultants or contractors.?Although they technically were not employees, if you had individuals who performed well for a long period of time, you might consider bringing them back as contractors again or even as employees.

·????????Talented interns who failed to return.

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Sources: HR Magazine, January 2000; LA Times, April 2, 2000; MWorld, September 1 2000; Lancaster Business2Business, May 2010.