Hiring former employees beneficial: Study

Returning employees understand the key components of an organisation's work culture and may also be more committed to the focal organisation upon their return, making them less risky hires, says a study.

Organisations of all types are beginning to recognise and embrace the value of recruiting and welcoming back former employees, the findings showed.

"Ideally, these so-called 'boomerang employees' already understand the key components of the organization's work structure and culture, which makes them less risky hires than newcomers," said T. Brad Harris, a professor of labour and employment relations at University of Illinois in the US.

"In addition to understanding the organisational culture, returning employees might also be more committed to the focal organisation upon their return because, in essence, they have learned first-hand that the grass is not always greener on the other side," Harris added.

From infantry soldiers to chief executives, accountants and professional basketball players, many organisations proactively recruit and re-hire former employees as a way to offset high turnover costs and hedge against the uncertain process of socialising replacement employees.

"After surveying and interviewing hundreds of employees, we were able to see that 'boomerang employees' were more likely to originally leave an organization, not because of dissatisfaction with the job, but because of some personal reason, such as a pregnancy, spousal relocation or an unexpected job offer," Harris noted.

The study appeared in the journal Personnel Psychology.