4 Reasons in Favor of “Boomerang” Employees

In today’s competitive recruiting market, it might make sense to consider a segment of applicants once considered taboo — boomerang employees. Once frowned upon by organizations, many employers now see real benefits to welcoming back workers who left and now want to return.

Why consider rehiring these candidates? Obviously, a lot depends on their reasons for leaving in the first place. Relocation? Life event? Exploring other career paths? Once you revisit these to your satisfaction, it’s time to take a closer look at the many potential advantages.

The case for boomerang employees

• Search costs less. The associated expenses of acquiring new talent increases each year and can quickly eat away at your budget. A boomerang employee dramatically cuts these costs by eliminating recruiter fees, as well as excess time spent qualifying candidates, verifying employment history and performing other related tasks.
• Interviews uncover more. Since you’re not starting at square one with a boomerang employee, the interviewing process can move quickly to more substantive issues without the need for probing questions about past work performance or how the applicant interacts in a team setting.
• Onboarding is easier. The boomerang candidate understands the uniqueness of your organization better than most. In addition to expediting the overall onboarding process, rehiring a respected former employee can boost morale as well as productivity — and you can have greater confidence they’ll fit into your workplace culture.
• They bring fresh takes and new motivation. Hiring back an employee after they’ve gained experience elsewhere can bring fresh, innovative perspectives that benefit your organization, as well as new client and networking opportunities. More than likely, a boomerang employee will have a stronger motivation to succeed and be eager to take full advantage of opportunities as they present themselves.

Should you actively recruit a boomerang employee?

The short answer is “why not.” If the advantages described above strike you as compelling, they would apply to anyone who used to work at your organization, not exclusively those who are actively looking to return.

Social networking can play a key role here. Since sites like LinkedIn, and potentially even Facebook or others, can help former colleagues stay in closer contact with each other and your organization, they can also help you identify which former employees might be more open to the possibility of returning.

These networking channels are, however, a two-way street. The same flow of information that’s keeping you closer to your former employees is also connecting current employees to their  former employers. There’s never been a more important time to keep current employees engaged, informed and challenged. By prioritizing retention strategies for them, you might be able to keep the potential boomerang from leaving in the first place.

Making it all easier

While identifying, recruiting, and onboarding former employees makes the transition into your company easier, the right human capital management (HCM) solution can streamline the process and expedite the hiring of top talent. Payroll Data Services provides organizations like yours with the technology needed to engage current employees and simplify the entire employee management lifecycle from pre-hire to retire — and back again.