Boomerang Employees: A Homecoming At The Workplace

Boomerang employees accounted for 4.5% of all new hires among companies in 2021, according to professional networking site LinkedIn. So, what is a boomerang employee? Employees who return to a company after leaving are called boomerang employees and recent data shows that their number is on the rise.

Boomerang employees are often more committed and hardworking than fresh hires.

Are Boomerang employees good?

Not too long ago, company policies were against hiring boomerangs. But that seems to have changed in recent times, as organizations wake up to the benefits of hiring a boomerang employee. First and foremost, boomerang employees’ pros and cons consist of the fact that they are extremely familiar with the company policies, culture, and job expectations. Earlier, the answer to what is a boomerang employee would’ve been something along the lines of someone who couldn’t make it in the outside world. But that trend is slowly changing and the number of boomerang employees are going up, for 2021 it is at 4.5%, up from 3.9% over the same period in 2019.

The most recent data compiled by LinkedIn’s Economic Graph team shows that US employees are returning to their old workplaces. The professional networking site analyzed the data of about 32 million LinkedIn members’ job histories for the report.

People often feel hesitant to approach their old employer as they wonder if it is bad to be a boomerang employee. However, research shows that the benefits are multifold for both the employee and the employer. From spending less time onboarding to having people already comfortable with the nitty-gritty of the company, the transition is much smoother than onboarding a fresh hire.

Do companies like boomerangs?

One reason why boomerang employees come back is also because even when they are doing well at another job, they sometimes get offers to come back on vastly better terms than earlier. Boomerang employee interviews are smoother than usual as they already have a good idea of what is expected.

Furthermore, boomerang employee benefits also translate to good company culture. If an employee is willing to come back, it shows that they appreciate the company. Boomerang employee statistics also show that the average time between the exit and return of such hires in the US has shrunk to 17.3 months, down from the 21.8-month gap which was the norm in 2010.

The answer to why boomerang employees come back is simple – it is easier and more beneficial for both parties to join hands again. The LinkedIn survey showed that the transition has been especially high in the field of technology, information and media; retail; hospitals and healthcare; transportation, logistics and storage; manufacturing; and financial services. 

Lana Peters, vice president of the Americas at the HR tech platform HiBob, told SHRM that “Boomerang employees grow in their trade while learning different perspectives, and employers are able to garner the riches of that growth and varying perspectives when a valued past employee returns.” In fact, the State of California even has a dedicated boomerang website — boomerang.ca.gov — for retired State of California employees.

By hiring boomerang employees, companies also communicate that they are interested in your development, that it is okay to enrich your life experience by pursuing other opportunities while leaving the door open for a comeback. Why boomerang employees come back is mainly because they now know they can command a better package and after exploring different employers, prefer this over others.

To sum up what is a boomerang employee – it is an individual who has now returned to an old employer with richer experiences, better professional networks, and additional knowledge. They also tend to more committed and often turn out to be the best long-term hires, as they resume working with renewed dedication, ironing out the chinks in the armor.

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