Should You Hire a Boomerang Employee?
Posted November 24th, 2015
The term “boomerang employees” refer to former workers who leave and then try to come back in the future. There is no hard line on rehiring boomerang employees – it truly depends on each particular circumstance. Determine if you should hire a boomerang employee by assessing these pros and cons:
Pros:
-
Culture Fit
With hiring new employees, you never know if it will be a mutual fit with company culture. A boomerang employee saves you that uncertainty: They already know what to expect in terms of the way your company operates.
-
Training
Even if boomerang employees need some refreshers to get them up to speed, they are likely to be already well versed in the basics of your company’s processes. Rehiring them can save you training expenses, not to mention time, that would be necessary for brand new hires.
-
Acclimation
There’s an overall learning curve that is to be expected with new employees before they truly become productive and contribute to the workload. Hiring a boomerang employee can reduce the time it takes to acclimate, since they’ll be reacquainting themselves rather than starting from scratch.
Cons:
-
Retention
If a boomerang employee left once before, who’s to say they will be more committed this time around? Consider the circumstances of the previous employee’s departure and if they can make a convincing argument regarding what has changed this time around.
-
Past Issues
Review the boomerang employee’s previous performance. Any negative performance or behavior issues are not likely to magically improve without significant attention and corrective measures. Rehiring employees with past issues comes with the risk of them feeling entitled or not taking you seriously. If you took them back, even knowing about the issues, they may not have incentive to improve.
-
Morale
Bringing back boomerang employees can negatively impact your current employees’ morale. Choosing to hire someone who left can send unintended signals to your team, such as that loyalty isn’t rewarded or they aren’t currently valued if you overlook internal promotions in favor of a boomerang.
Rehiring former employees isn’t the only way to streamline the hiring process and get your engineering positions filled in a timely, yet effective manner. As a trusted staffing firm since 2001, Bayside Solutions has the experience assessing, recruiting, and evaluating top talent. We can provide you with quality candidates that fit your specific needs, from technical expertise to soft skills. Contact Bayside to learn about our staffing solutions.
