Parting with staff always seems a bit final, but now and again, a past employee will come back.

Boomerang hiring is becoming more and more common place.  Is it right for your company?

Past employees already understand your company

This means it’s faster, easier and cheaper to train them. It also means they’re familiar with your company’s culture.

You know them

Personal experience is the best reference you will ever have. You already know their strengths and weaknesses. You know how to motivate them and get the best from them. You also know how well they’ll fit in.

They’ll be loyal

If an employee leaves for pastures new, sometimes all they get is a dose of reality. Having found the grass isn’t greener on the other side, they’ll appreciate your company more, even more so if you take them back. This could really pay off in terms of loyalty and productivity.

Redundancies

Sometimes you have no choice than to let employees go. When business picks up again, there’s nothing wrong with rehiring employees that you previously made redundant.

Why did they leave?
Sometimes employees are forced to leave for circumstances alone, such as a change in location or family obligations. If they come back, you don’t know they won’t leave if circumstances change again. But do you ever really have that guarantee?

Have they gained new skills?

Sometimes returning employees have really grown in the time they’ve been gone.  They could have learnt some brilliant new skills that will make them an even better hire than they were the first time round.

It’s not just about the person you’re hiring

It’s not just people who grow – companies do, too. If your size, culture and approaches change, somebody who fitted into your company 10 years ago might not be a good fit anymore.

Create a re-hiring policy

It’s a good idea to have a re-hiring policy, where you stipulate who will be considered for future employment. You can also note reasons for not considering people in the future – those who left without giving sufficient notice, or people who didn’t perform well.

Welcoming back old employees

Remember, things at your company will have changed, so you will still need to have a proper induction. You’ll still need to establish expectations, explain new processes and introduce new employees.

This article is from Tirebuck Recruitment, a Job Agency in Solihull.