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ICYMI, in April, news broke that Microsoft would be adopting a controversial approach for handling employees who exit the business over performance issues: A rehire block list.
Under the policy, underperformers ousted from the business over low performance scores or failed performance-improvement plans (PIPs) are now banned from being rehired for two years. According to documents seen by Business Insider, execs hope the policy will ensure “good attrition.”
Amy Coleman, Microsoft’s new Chief People Officer, is not alone in her push for a tougher stance on underperformers. Such block lists have notably been used elsewhere, including fellow tech giants Meta and Amazon.
After Meta’s own hiring ban was uncovered earlier in 2025, Google’s former CHRO claimed on LinkedIn that he had “never seen a large scale, systematic approach like this.”
So, are rehire block lists set to become all the rage in big tech and beyond? And are they a valid attempt to encourage healthy attrition, or an unfair over-exertion of HR policy?
What is a rehire block list?
Hiring block lists are not illegal, with a follow-up report from Business Insider revealing just how widespread they are across a wide range of industries.
While the specifics of the policies vary, the broad approach involves banning employees who exit the business – typically over performance or misconduct issues – from re-applying for any role at the firm, for a fixed period of time.
Employers typically use rehire block lists as a means to keep track of those who leave under the designation of ‘good attrition,’ also known as ‘unregretted attrition,’ or ‘non-regrettable attrition’ – employees or a threshold of the workforce that a business is happy not to retain.
Microsoft, like Amazon and Meta, has rolled out the policy as part of a wider strategy to drive higher performance levels from its workforce, firing 2,000 staff it deemed ‘underperformers’ and introducing a new performance improvement plan.
Companies using block lists argue they usually follow a strict criteria for employees, including checks and balances to ensure that single managers cannot abuse the system and tag someone as ineligible for rehire without a clear reason.
At Meta, for example, factors include the time of separation, the reason for departure (performance-based termination, policy violation, and voluntary resignation), and any other recent performance ratings or signals.
Are rehire block lists a good idea?
While rehire block lists appear to be more commonplace than some HR or talent professionals might expect, they understandably draw mixed reviews and controversy.
Many HR professionals recognize the benefits of rehire block lists. Under the post from Google’s former CHRO, for example, Director of People Operations Karen Liska emphasized that such lists are a “risk mitigation strategy" for businesses.
Liska, a former attorney, runs people strategy at SafeSend, a tax Saas platform acquired by Thomson Reuters earlier in 2025. She wrote: “Like any other tool in a large org that is meant to help keep systems functioning, it can be used for protective purposes or other legitimate business reasons.”
HR Grapevine also heard from Preston Sharpston, Director of People Operations at MWB Restaurants, a multistate Whataburger franchise with over 600 employees across 12 restaurants.
Sharpston is responsible for delivering high-velocity, low-cost hiring and successful operations, and argued rehire block lists can “serve a purpose.”
“In high-turnover industries (like restaurants or retail), it’s important to protect teams from re-hiring individuals who’ve created serious disruptions, shown patterns of unreliability, or left under particularly negative circumstances,” he told HR Grapevine. “A well-maintained block list helps ensure consistency, fairness, and a clear standard for what behavior crosses the line.”
However, as Liska explained, while a rehire ban may be designed with positive intentions in mind, like any other tool (particularly in a large organization where checks and balances are more complex to maintain), it could be mishandled.
Such a tool could be “used improperly as part of retaliation or to maintain discriminatory practices,” she warned. Similarly, Sharpston caveated that effective block lists can only meet their purpose when “used carefully and with clear criteria.”
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“It shouldn’t be a permanent blacklist or used as a grudge-holding tool. People grow, and context matters,” he emphasized. “There should always be a way to review or appeal a block, especially if time has passed or new information comes to light.”
Indeed, several employees told Business Insider of experiences being blacklisted without warning or any communication from HR or talent teams, with no recourse for appeal or clarity into how long the rehire ban might last.
Regrettable versus non-regrettable attrition
With potential risks as well as clear upsides, the case for rehire block lists is an admittedly gray area.
However, while some bad actors may not use the rehire block lists for their intended purpose (deliberately or not), a blanket ban on this type of approach is simply not an option for HR teams.
As Sharpston noted, good attrition is “absolutely” a concept talent teams must become comfortable with, perhaps more obviously in the cases of policy violations like harassment or discrimination, but also as they attempt to drive improvements in performance for the business.
“Someone leaves and the business, team, or culture is better off for it,” the Director of People Operations explained. “That could mean a toxic influence is gone, or simply that someone moved on and created space for new energy, ideas, or leadership.”
Accordingly, how employers handle the exits and the execution of a rehire ban is what matters. “Whether they were a rockstar or a challenge, every employee deserves a clear, respectful offboarding process,” Sharpston added. “Be honest, but be kind. Don’t drag things out, don’t ghost people, and don’t let emotions drive the experience.”
It’s unlikely to be the last we hear on rehire block lists. Employees and candidates must be increasingly prepared for their (former) employers to use the approach as a tool to foster a healthy, happy, and high-performing workforce.
However, they also have a right to demand clarity and communication from managers and hiring teams about how a rehire block list will be used. Employers who adopt such an approach must guarantee transparency over decision-making criteria, embed checks and balances into the process, and ensure meaningful opportunities for appeals and reviews.
