Getting Back Together to Move Forward: The Benefits of a Boomerang Employee Job Matching Strategy
When the employment relationship ends it’s over for good. Almost always. But not always.
If we’re serious about addressing unemployment – both from an employer standpoint and a job seeker standpoint – it’s time to get creative about matching.
One particular matching strategy or concept that employers and job seekers should consider is that of a boomerang employee. A boomerang employee is someone who leaves the company they work for and later returns to work for the same employer.
There are several reasons why a reunion of the employer and former employee might make sense for both parties:
Familiarity with each other – former employee’s strengths, personality, and work style and organizational culture, policies, and processes.
Former employee may be returning with new skills and experiences which can benefit the organization and help him or her be more productive and successful.
Shorter learning curve for the former employee, which can lead to quicker productivity and contribution.
But wait you say, the relationship ended because of a mismatch. Perhaps there was a bad person-job fit, person-organization fit, or person-group fit.
Here’s the thing. People evolve. Organizations evolve.
For individuals, new professional experiences can result in acquisition of critical and effective people skills and technical skills which may have been lacking during the original employment relationship. On the organization side, perhaps the culture has changed for the better, or an ineffective supervisor or leader has left – all things that now appeal to a former employee. Or maybe a new position has been created that would be a good fit for the former employee. Time, growth, and evolution can help re-align employers and former employees.
Obviously not every employer and former employee should reunite. Employment relationships aren’t meant to last forever. And some employment relationships end badly. But for those employer-employee separations that ended amicably, both parties should consider whether a reunion might be what each needs to achieve their workforce and career goals.
[Originally published on LinkedIn on 2/5/21: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/getting-back-together-move-forward-benefits-boomerang-leonard-mhrm/