Should You Hire a Previous Employee for a Current Opening?
Should you rehire an employee who has left your company and now wants to come back?
It could be an excellent move. But, be sure to do your homework first. Then you can make the right decision – hopefully, one that will not result in you losing them again, or regretting your initial enthusiasm.
While it used to be the norm for an employee to remain at the same company for 10, 20 or even 30 or more years, recent research shows more than half (51 percent) of people now stay in one role for an average of only two years or less. Plus, employees are boomeranging – or returning to their former employers – at increasing rates.
- Another study revealed the proportion of people who started a job at a company where they had previously worked more than doubled during the time period from 2000 to 2015.
Don’t Cut Corners
If you’re considering adding a boomerang employee to your team – even if they’re known as a superstar – don’t eliminate reference checks or other key steps in your hiring process. This hiring tip should never be overlooked, regardless of the candidate or the circumstances. Gut feelings alone can be good – but make sure they’re good enough, by supplementing them with the other steps on your hiring checklist.
Important Questions to Answer
As you consider hiring previous employees, be sure you’re satisfied with the answers to these questions:
- Why did they leave in the first place? Something was unsatisfactory; otherwise, they’d still be working for you, rather than applying to make a comeback. Possibly, their new job didn’t live up to expectations or provide the opportunities they were seeking. Or, there were compelling personal reasons that took them out of the workforce for a time. The point is: find out. Because if you can’t determine why someone left, you can’t be confident they’ll stay on board the second time around, either.
- Are any of their former issues with your company still lingering? Did they leave because they couldn’t get along with their manager? If so, is that manager still there – and will they be reporting to them again? It’s critical to resolve any lingering issues that may have caused an employee to leave, or that their departure may have inadvertently caused.
- How have they changed? And, how has your company changed? Both your former employee and your organization have likely changed in some way since the two of you parted ways. How, exactly? Did your former employee improve or diversify their skills while they were gone – and if so, will these changes be beneficial to your company today? You also can’t assume the circumstances the person was previously working under are the same now. Neither party should assume they’re returning to the exact same environment or culture.
- How would rehiring this previous employee affect morale? Before hiring a previous employee, consider how their return would be perceived by their co-workers and the effect it would have on morale. A good rule of thumb and a key hiring tip is always: assume nothing.
Partner with Frontline Source Group!
Whether your staffing needs are temporary or permanent; whether you’re evaluating brand new talent or reassessing a former employee for rehire, consider partnering with the experts at Frontline Source Group. To get in touch with our staffing service in Dallas, TX, click here. Contact us to find the branch nearest to you or read our related posts to learn more!
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Published on Jan 22, 2019