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Over the last year or so, many trends have made their way onto the hiring scene. Take the so-called ‘Great Resignation’ for example. In essence, this refers to an ongoing trend that describes huge numbers of staff leaving their jobs at once.
Now, experts such as Anthony Klotz, who predicted and coined the ‘Great Resignation’, have suggested that the next trend in hiring is a surge of ‘boomerang' workers, according to a recent article from Forbes. The website Elevate defines ‘boomerang' employees as those team members who decide to leave a company but return at some point in the future. For those employers struggling to fill roles, the Forbes article went on to explain that these workers could present a pool of potentially untapped talent, and also provide useful insights about the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation.
Jane Hulme, HR Director at Unum UK, explained to HR Grapevine: “It’s a priority for HR managers to understand why staff are leaving so that they can be better equipped to provide the sought-after criteria that ‘boomerang' staff felt they were missing which contributed to their decision to leave in the first place. For example, wanting more mental health support, flexible working and even ESG commitments are all high on employee agendas, as well as competitive total reward and employee benefits packages.”
While ‘boomerang' hires can provide insight into the current strengths and weaknesses of the organisation – and pave the way to future improvements – it is also important for HR to consider the potential benefits and drawbacks of re-hiring a former member of staff, and how this could help with plugging talent shortages.
The benefits of ‘boomerang' hires
According to Chris Goulding, Managing Director of specialist HR recruitment firm, Wade Macdonald, “’boomerang' hires eliminate many of the technicalities that new hires do”. He said to HR Grapevine: “They can hit the ground running with company processes, systems, and client relations because they know the business and they know the people. Replacing an employee can cost businesses up to 200% of the leaver’s salary to replace, so hiring an ex-employee can be far more time and cost effective.”
Aside from the time-saving and financial advantages, other research has pointed to the benefits that can be reaped in terms of staff retention and lesser training requirements. For example, a 2017 Huffington Post article reported on Sodexo – who had a corporate alumni programme – found that their ‘boomerang' hires had a 44% higher retention rate over a three-year period than external hires. Separately, The Corporate Culture Boomerang Employee Study by Workplace Trends – as was reported by Bamboo HR – found that 33% of HR pros agreed that already being familiar with the firm’s culture, and having fewer training needs, are some other benefits of bringing back former staff.
The drawbacks of ‘boomerang hires’
One the flip side though, Goulding pointed towards some of potential pitfalls of hiring ex-staff, with one being that it could cause issues with the existing workforce. He said: “’Boomerang' hires might cause friction among staff who suspect lack of loyalty and increased compensation, risking more leavers. HRs and business leaders should read the room. In the era of the ‘Great Retention’, your current staff are your best asset and should be prioritised as such.”
It’s also important to find out the main motivations for staff leaving and addressing why they sought ‘greener grass’ in another company, and whether they could potentially be swayed to go elsewhere in future. Aside from that, Hulme said: “HR managers must also consider how well will the employee fit back in culturally – for example, if there had been previous personality differences or ill-feeling between colleagues, is this now resolved? A colleague who left on bad terms may not necessarily be welcomed back with open arms by all, particularly if they had expressed their resentment publicly.”
With data from the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) – reported on by the Independent – finding that more than two-thirds of UK companies trying to hire new workers are struggling to find recruits, looking to former employees could help HR to plug these gaps. As has been highlighted, this could be present several benefits such as being able to hit the ground running, as well as drawbacks like if they have left before, will they leave again?
“This is the balance that hiring managers must weigh up with current pressures and vacancies meaning ‘boomerang' staff could well provide part of the resourcing solution,” Hulme added.
