In human resources or even in the business industry, there is something known as the occurrence of the boomerang employee or the act of boomeranging as a whole itself. As boomeranging is further escalating these days in different types of industries around the world, it would be a great asset to add to your arsenal to know and understand what it actually means. Insight on the matter will give you the upper hand and even a better idea of how it can affect your organization and how you can handle the said occurrence while giving you the opportunity to use it to the best of your advantage.
Boomeranging? Yes, you have heard that quite right. The term or the root word is derived from what you call a boomerang and the functionality or role it tries to portray. Digging deeper to the said term, the definition of a boomerang is a somewhat curved piece of wood that is thrown through the air with an applied force and will ricochet back towards the owner or where it was originally thrown from. With that out of the way, understanding the terminology will be a much easier task and just a walk through the park for you.
In the workplace or in the view of the business world the expression “boomeranging” or a “boomerang employee” is when a previous worker who has left the company before comes back for a second chance to work along with your team once again. Basically, like a boomerang or just like a prodigal son that suddenly returns from where they originally come from. The said term does not actually have a minimal or maximal time interval for it to be called the boomerang occurrence, some employees try to return several months or even a couple of years but it is still called that term either way.
The previous employee triumphantly returns to their former employer or the same organization where they have currently worked before to be an asset to the company or corporation once more. Of course, they will only be able to prove themselves if the management will give them the chance or opportunity to do so.
A lot of studies pertaining to boomeranging has been on the rise lately as the occurrence has been proliferating in the recruitment industry more and more. There are several studies and researches about the topic at hand wherein some stated that they were able to verify that recruiters have a higher tendency to hire previous employees who have already worked with the company before rather than adjusting and inserting in new hires.
One of the said studies or researches was done by Kronos and Workplace Trends wherein at a nationwide scale 1800 HR professionals, managers, and even recruiters were surveyed about their thoughts and ideas on rehiring a boomerang employee. The results were very optimal as it was able to show that with a high percentage of about 76% on the surveyed population, they have insisted that they will most likely have the intent to re-hire a previous employee when they have the chance to do so.
They do have their points and reasons though on why re-hiring a former employee might be a good idea for you to look into. Here are several benefits of hiring back a boomerang employee to your organization.
They Already Understand the Company and Its Culture
Compared to new employees entering the workplace for the first time, boomerang employees already have an idea of what the company does and what to do when certain situations and problems arise around the office. From functions, protocols, company culture, establishing close relationships, strategical planning, and even getting the job done with ease, boomerang employees definitely has got your back. You have already worked with these people before for the past few months and years, so, therefore, you already know what their capabilities and potential are.
A boomerang employee most likely still have connections and friends inside the office likewise making the adapting phase much easier and gentler for everyone in the company compared to a complete total stranger. They would not need to adjust that much when there are a few changes and teamwork as well as communication is easier to foster when they already know each other from before.
“You have to know the past to understand the present.” ―Carl Sagan
Cost and Time Savings
Rehiring a previous employee who has worked for the company before can save an organization a lot of money and time. Organizations would need not to worry about the various new applicants for the job, as well as the long screening and interviewing process that comes along with it. Training would not be needed that much as the previous employee has already trained before and knows what is his scope and what are the things that are expected to be done for the job. Mistakes are reduced to a minimal level reducing potential conflicts that may disrupt the productivity and workflow of the entire office.
Fresh Skills and Energy
It is not always true that adding more new people to your company will assure you that they will bring in a new batch of skill sets and flowing energy to the workplace. It would really take some time for new employees to adapt to the office and sometimes even show their true colors compared to previous employees who have been with you before.
It would be better to rehire a previous employee because you know them well enough and have already built a bond between them.
Sometimes it is a good idea to do a boomerang because when a capable employee comes back from a different job, it is most likely that they have gained a new set of skills and they have experienced some kind of growth in that time that might be a great asset for the organization to use. The energy that they will possess will be very high considering they want to make a positive comeback and prove to the company that they were not wrong in getting them back.
There are several job opportunities and roles that are being offered with different qualifications and experiences around the business world. The most usual and effective way to handle the situation is just to find a new employee to fill in the vacancy and just be done with it. You’re not mistaken, but you might want to try and consider doing a boomerang and see if important and relevant workers that left your company before might want to take a second chance at it, there are some underlying benefits that might bring back the spark in your company.
“My comeback was not about winning or losing; it was about the feeling of being able to compete at the top level again” –Thomas Muster
