Reason for Leaving
Individuals may leave their place of employment for a variety of reasons; and very often, it has nothing to do with any type of major job dissatisfaction or less than ideal work situation. Sometimes an “amazing opportunity” materializes, or perhaps their peers have moved on to other endeavors, inspiring a sudden change of direction.
After examining the options and possibilities of starting their own business, some individuals find they’ve been influenced by the “if not now, when?” mindset, finally deciding to end the procrastination and make the attempt.
In other cases, an employee may leave for personal reasons, such as raising children or caring for a family member. He or she may have decided to dedicate themselves to furthering their education for enhanced employability down the road. In some instances, a spouse or partner may have landed a job in a remote location, making it difficult or impossible for the other to continue within their current employment role.
However, in many cases, life circumstances change, subsequent employment opportunities don’t always turn out, and employees sometimes find themselves looking back toward where they came from. These are the workers who exited on good terms, and are pursuing a second chance at a previous place of employment; also known as “boomerang employees”.
Past and Present
Until recently, it was not terribly common for human resource departments to rehire prior employees. Even if the worker left on good terms, HR’s position was that if an employee left once, there was a higher probability of them leaving again. Therefore, the hiring expenditures used to bring back these individuals were considered more of a risk than an investment.
Over the last decade, however, they seem to have recanted their position, with more than three quarters of HR professionals saying that they are comfortable with rehiring returning, or boomerang, employees.
Advantages for the Employer
Employer advantages are enormous, of course. In reality, the training costs are considerably smaller than they would be for a new hire. The company is already familiar with the employee and their past performance record. Furthermore, the boomerang employee’s familiarity with procedures and other staff members make for a quick, smooth transition.
Employees who relocated are also not ruled out of the equation. If they can do the same job remotely from home, an employer won’t need to provide them with office space, equipment, and other work-related resources; resulting in even more savings for the organization.
Large numbers of companies are restyling their offices because they accept the fact that more than half the time employees aren’t even at their desks. We have become a very mobile culture, capable of performing our jobs from just about anywhere. If you happen to rent 12 floors of the most expensive real estate in Manhattan, wouldn’t it be nice to reduce that to just six floors?
Advantages for the Employee
Rejoining a company where you previously worked is also far less risky for you as an employee. You know its workings; you’re familiar with the corporate culture; you know the landscape of the business, and you have a good grasp of the management expectations. While there is always the possibility of a few personnel or policy changes since your exit, the fear of the unknown is mostly eliminated.
Working remotely, when possible, is also laden with terrific advantages, such as eradicating daily rush hour commutes and frequent office distractions that may slow down your productivity.
Modern Considerations
Those boomerang employees who quit to pursue other professional endeavors may have felt that the grass looked much greener, but wasn’t exactly what they anticipated.
Nonetheless, just because someone didn’t succeed on their own, certainly does not mean they won’t be an asset once they’re back in the fold. On the contrary, their outside experience might actually benefit the company, which in essence, is a form of success. They’ve obtained new skills, gathered experience, and enjoyed a new level of expertise which qualifies them for a significantly better position. The personal growth they experienced while they were away can be an enormous advantage to their former company upon their return.
Annual Boomerangs
Think of accountants who specialize in tax services, resort workers, or employees who work at retail establishments through the busy winter holidays.
Seasonal employees or workers who return on an annual basis for a scheduled amount of time are becoming more common throughout many industries and businesses. Companies benefit greatly from hiring familiar and qualified people to help them deal with the seasonal variations.
The Takeaway
While there will always be those who remain with their current position from post-college to retirement, in today’s employment culture, fewer individuals spend their entire careers with just one organization. The average, being three to five consecutive years spent with one company. Yet, while approximately 85 percent of us will not return to a previous employer, that is 15 percent who will; and given the current work trends, that percentage may very well be on the rise.
If you’ve decided to move on from a particular outfit, remain on pleasant terms, don’t burn bridges, and keep those people in your professional network. There is a likely chance you may find yourself led back to an old familiar company with a fresh new opportunity.
Take your job search and LinkedIn profile to new levels and achieve your career goals with LinkedInSecrets.us. Leveraging LinkedIn for Job Search Success 2015 will transform how you use LinkedIn on a daily basis and create a profile that will WOW recruiters and hiring managers.