Booming the Boomerang Employees

Re-engaging former employees, also known as "boomerang employees," can be a beneficial strategy for companies looking to fill positions quickly and with a known quantity. These employees already have experience with the company and its culture, and may require less training and onboarding than new hires. However, re-engaging former employees is not as simple as just offering them their old job back.

One best practice for re-engaging former employees is to keep in touch with them after they leave the company. This can be done through staying connected on LinkedIn, sending newsletters or company updates, or inviting them to events or networking opportunities. By keeping in touch, the company can stay top-of-mind for the former employee and make it more likely that they will consider returning in the future.

Another best practice is to have a clear re-hiring process in place. This process should be consistent and fair for all candidates, including former employees. This can include an application, interview, and reference checking process.

It's also important for companies to address any issues or concerns that may have led to the employee leaving in the first place. This can be done through exit interviews or by having open and honest conversations with the former employee during the re-hiring process.

Another important thing is to acknowledge that the reasons why the employee left in the first place may have changed, and they may have other priorities or needs that the company will need to accommodate.

Additionally, companies can offer incentives for returning employees, such as a signing bonus, tuition reimbursement, or other benefits.

In summary, re-engaging former employees can be a beneficial strategy for companies looking to fill positions quickly and with a known quantity, but it's important to keep in touch, have a clear re-hiring process in place, address any issues that may have led to the employee leaving, and offer incentives for returning employees.

It's worth noting that re-engaging former employees can also bring significant benefits to the company. Studies have shown that boomerang employees often have a higher level of engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity than new hires. Additionally, they can bring new skills and perspectives to the company gained from their time away.

Another important consideration when re-engaging former employees is to ensure that the company culture and values align with those of the returning employee. This can be accomplished by clearly communicating the company's mission, vision, and values and by ensuring that these are reflected in the company's actions and policies.

It's also important for companies to provide opportunities for professional growth and development for returning employees. This can include providing training and development opportunities, offering mentorship programs, and encouraging employee participation in professional associations or industry groups.

In addition, it's crucial to ensure that the returning employee is a good fit for the team and the company as a whole. This can be accomplished by conducting thorough interviews, talking with current team members, and checking references.

Furthermore, it's important for companies to be transparent about the reasons for re-engaging former employees. This can help to alleviate any concerns or doubts that current employees may have and can also help to mitigate any potential negative perceptions from the public.

Overall, re-engaging former employees can be a valuable strategy for companies, but it requires careful planning and execution. By keeping in touch, having a clear re-hiring process, addressing any issues that may have led to the employee leaving, offering incentives, aligning company culture and values, providing opportunities for professional growth and development, ensuring a good fit, and being transparent, companies can increase the chances of successfully re-engaging former employees.

Conclusion 

In conclusion, re-engaging former employees can bring significant benefits to the company in terms of engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity, as well as new skills and perspectives. However, re-engaging former employees requires careful planning and execution. By keeping in touch, having a clear re-hiring process, addressing any issues that may have led to the employee leaving, offering incentives, aligning company culture and values, providing opportunities for professional growth and development, ensuring a good fit, and being transparent, companies can increase the chances of successfully re-engaging former employees.

Ahsan Tariq
Department of Management Science 
Preston University
Reg#114118