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- 🪃 boomerang hires: when goodbye isn't forever
🪃 boomerang hires: when goodbye isn't forever
when your next great hire is hiding in your alumni network
In partnership with
Happy Thursday HR friends!👋
Today we’re pondering boomerang employees 🧠
They leave, realise that actually the grass wasn’t that much greener, so now they’re back. Why does this happen and what does it say about your culture (and hard work as an HR pro)?
We’ll be in touch ogreat HR content lined up for you next week, so speak to you all then!✨💪
In Today’s Edition
🪃 Why Boomerangs Could Be Your Best Bet
🛋️ The Break Room: Thoughts on Rehiring? (And Why It's Not As Awkward As You Think)
📚 Human Readsources: Best Buy offers free college to employees, Chipotle uses AI to accelerate hiring process, Southwest Airlines announces first major layoffs ever.
This time, it could be different….
Boomerang’s aren’t just for our Australian friends!
Did you know that 72% of employees who leave an organization say they would consider returning under the right circumstances? This "boomerang employee" phenomenon has gained significant momentum in today's dynamic job market, with familiar faces often bringing enhanced skills and fresh perspectives back to their former employers.
For organizations, this presents a unique strategic opportunity to tap into a talent pool that already understands their culture, processes, and values. The cost savings are substantial too - studies show that rehiring former employees can reduce onboarding time by up to 50% and result in higher retention rates compared to brand-new hires.
HR professionals are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend by maintaining positive relationships with high-performing alumni and creating structured "alumni networks" that keep past employees engaged with the organization. The key lies in transforming exit interviews into "future opportunity conversations" and developing specific recruitment pathways for returning talent.
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💡 Why Boomerangs Could Be Your Best Bet
Let's face it - the old stigma around rehiring former employees is officially dead. In today's tight labor market, boomerang employees bring something invaluable: they already know your culture, processes, and that one VP who always needs their slides formatted just so.
They're basically a ready-made solution to your hiring headaches.
The numbers don't lie. According to recent data, healthcare organizations are leading the charge with 4.3% of their hires being boomerangs, and for good reason.
These returnees typically onboard faster, perform better, and come with fresh perspectives from their time away. Plus, they've already proven they can handle your company's unique quirks and personalities.😁
Here's your action plan: Start by building a proper alumni network (no, that dusty LinkedIn group doesn't count). Schedule regular check-ins with high-performing former employees - think coffee chats at 6 months post-departure.
And when they do come back, use their outside experience to your advantage. Ask what they learned elsewhere that could improve your workplace. And prevent team members at a similar level from leaving like they did!
After all, sometimes the best way forward is welcoming back the ones who already know the way.
🔗 Relevant links
👀 TLDR
Boomerang employees aren't just a trend – they're your secret weapon for smart hiring. They know your culture, hit the ground running, and bring fresh perspectives from their time away. Why don't you try sliding into a couple of LinkedIn DMs today and see what comes back?
⚡ Takeaway and Try
- 🌟 Establish a "Boomerang Talent Pipeline" program by creating a dedicated alumni Slack channel and quarterly newsletter. This maintains relationships with high-performing former employees, creating a pre-vetted talent pool. Start by inviting past 2 years' top performers, schedule monthly content sharing, and track engagement rates and successful rehires to measure effectiveness.
- 🤝 Launch a "Welcome Back" fast-track hiring process for former employees. Reduces recruitment costs and onboarding time since these candidates already understand company culture. Create a separate ATS designation, implement expedited screening protocols, and measure time-to-hire and cost-per-hire compared to new candidates.
- 📈 Develop an "Alumni Success Metrics" dashboard tracking rehire performance data. Demonstrates ROI of boomerang hiring through concrete metrics. Compare time-to-productivity, retention rates, and performance ratings between rehires and new employees over their first year, presenting quarterly results to leadership.
- 🎯 Institute a "Knowledge Exchange Program" where returning employees share insights from their external experiences. Promotes innovation and best practice adoption across the organization. Schedule monthly sharing sessions, create a digital repository of learnings, and measure implementation rate of new ideas and their business impact.
- 💌 Create a structured "Alumni Engagement Calendar" with quarterly touchpoints and annual alumni networking events. Maintains warm relationships with potential future talent. Design email templates, plan virtual/in-person events, and track participation rates and subsequent job inquiries from alumni network.
☕ The Break Room: What's Your Take?
Makes you think doesn’t it?
What's your take on boomerang employees at your organization? |
📚 Human Readsources
🏢 Best Buy Offers Free College (HR Dive) - to all employees nationwide.
⚖️ Chipotle's AI Assistant Speeds Up Mass Hiring Push (The HR Digest) - Chipotle uses AI platform Ava Cado to hire 20,000 workers.
📊 Southwest Airlines Announces First Mass Layoffs in History (The HR Digest) - Southwest Airlines announces first mass layoffs, cutting 15% of workforce.
Thanks for reading to the end and we hope today’s edition sparked some new ideas for your workplace! 🧠
We know you’re super busy and really appreciate you letting us into your inbox a few times a week. 😀
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