Boomerang Employees: Sometimes, Talent Comes Back

Since the pandemic struck, the world of employment has given rise to more than its share of buzzwords, many of which have earned mainstream attention. There was the Great Resignation, of course. Then along came Quiet Quitting, which has been joined by Fast Quitting.

Now, along comes the Boomerang Employees phenomenon.

What these terms and trends have in common is that they all reflect the challenges of talent scarcity and retention, which will continue to affect employers for the foreseeable future.

Coming back

 Named for the famous Australian Aboriginal hunting weapon that, properly deployed, returns to its thrower, the boomerang employee trend refers to workers who leave their place of employment, only to come back. While some of these people leave the workforce altogether for a time, the term usually denotes a worker who takes a job with another company, then returns.

Why? The reasons are numerous. “I left The Adecco Group to follow my husband to Dubai for an expat adventure,” says once and present TAG employee Christina Geiser. At the time, she says, she sought out opportunities at TAG Dubai, “but no role of interest was open back in those days.” The expat adventure lasted about six years, during which she worked for a Switzerland-based start-up in the luxury beauty segment.

During that time, Geiser stayed in touch with TAG friends and colleagues. That paid off, as we’ll see.

Other boomerangs are sent flying by toxic management or co-worker experiences. That was the case for Oscar (who asked that we not use his surname), who was a PR and communications manager at a leading jewelry and accessories brand’s Europe-based marketing and communications headquarters. Pre-boomerang, he was there two years.

“I very much enjoyed the work I was doing and my colleagues and teammates,” Oscar says. “However, I had an awful, micromanaging, aggressive boss in a toxic environment. The boss was ruining everything for everybody.”

How awful? When Oscar gave his notice, HR said they were surprised he’d lasted so long.

“I was not the only person under this boss who was having problems,” he says.

In this post-pandemic era of tight labor and increasing competition for talent, still others accept offers that just seem too lucrative to pass up, or that push their progress up a rung or even two on the career ladder.

What goes around comes around

But more and more workers are returning to the companies they left. Again, the reasons vary. Many people discover that something they took for granted—a good culture fit and familiarity with process—is more important to their overall well-being than they had realized.

For Geiser, the decision was simple; when she and her husband decided to return to Switzerland after their Dubai adventure, she once again sought the “dynamic, global environment” she had experienced at TAG. “I saw a great opening under a person I knew from my previous experience,” she recalls. “I recognized him as a leader who was ahead of the curve when it came to the new world of working, and it did not take long until I started again.”

In Oscar’s case, the toxic manager was finally fired. “When I quit,” he says, “I was quitting that specific situation, not the company itself.” The company reached out to him about a new role—still within communications, but in a different part of the business, with a new team and of course a new boss. The second time around, he stayed five and a half years before moving on.

The pros of boomerangs

For businesses, there’s no shortage of reasons to consider rehiring former workers:

• According to some research, it costs up to $45,000 to replace a worker earning $60,000—but employers can save a third or more by rehiring boomerangs.

• Their institutional knowledge of the company—its culture, expectations, and processes—allows them to hit the ground running. In many cases, onboarding requires less time and fewer steps. When he returned to his original company, Oscar says, “I could be off and running quite quickly because I didn’t really need any onboarding. It was great to be back

• They have an established relationship with colleagues and the company; just as boomerangs know how the company operates, co-workers know what to expect of them.

• Time spent with a different employer has broadened their horizons, and probably increased their appreciation of this company (otherwise, why would they return?). They may bring with them fresh ideas about their area of expertise, as well as process. That’s been Geiser’s experience; “Going back can provide completely new insights,” she says. “It can bring lots of benefits and break old patterns.”

Risks and downside

Boomerangs also bring a certain amount of risk, however.

• If the worker left on a sour note, rehiring them may puzzle other employees or create discomfort in their department.

• If the boomerang returns with a promotion, as is often the case, those who faithfully remained with the company may grow resentful.               

• Understandably, many leaders believe that somebody who jumped ship twice (once from the original company and once from another) is a risk to do so yet again. It’s important to carefully interview potential boomerangs to learn exactly why they left and why they believe they’ll stick around this time.

Those who have returned to former employers have sage advice:

“Always leave in such a way that you can come back for a coffee with your team and your managers,” Geiser says. “Never leave angry.”