Boomerang efforts have one of the highest ROIs in recruiting. When you take the time to examine the profile of new hires who produce the best on-the-job performance, invariably previous employees returning to the organization, or “boomerangs,” make the list. Boomerang is a term that was coined to identify top performing “corporate alumni” who are either purposely targeted and brought back into the organization, or who return voluntarily after some absence from the organization.
Boomerang recruitment is a high ROI activity, primarily because the cost per hire is very low and little time or effort must be invested in getting to know the candidate. While boomerangs make great hires, they also empower or embolden retention efforts by exposing employees at risk of attrition to first-hand accounts of life outside the organization and the selling points of what brought them back. Boomerangs are highly valuable to an organization not just because they bring back great stories, but also because they bring a fresh perspective, yet one capable of embedding years of history. By stepping out of the organization, there is a good chance that boomerangs have learned new skills and strategies that are applicable or valuable in redesigning and improving your approaches. They can also bring back valuable information about how a competitor does business and the strengths and weaknesses inherent to their approach. Having been exposed to an organization doing something successful a different way, boomerangs can recognize what is better about your approach and what can be improved. In short, these are A++ candidates who deserve special treatment.
Beware of Antiquated Thinking!
Hiring boomerangs can be political. A number of managers hold the antiquated notion that boomerangs are traitors and should not be allowed to return. This notion is silly because the job world has changed, and the number of employees who remain loyal to a single organization throughout their lifetimes is both extremely limited and suspect in nature. It is also illogical to assume in an era where specific skills are increasingly more valuable on a project versus a long-term basis that separation from an organization has anything to do with loyalty. Individuals with the most valuable skills are constantly offered opportunities, and should a valued employee accept one, it is as much the manager?s fault for failing to retain the employee as it is the employee’s fault for taking advantage of market conditions. In addition, managers should not assume that just because someone doesn?t leave an organization that they are loyal. It could simply mean he or she has few or no opportunities! Managers need to get over it; rehiring former employees is quite common in sports and no one ever holds a grudge there.
Best Practice Firms
Although the hiring of boomerangs using a formal process is not widespread, there are several firms that have implemented boomerang programs. Consulting firms like McKinsey, Ernst & Young, Bain & Co, and Deloitte have long nurtured the relationship between the firm and its alumni. Other firms like HP and Gensler (who have been written-up for having boomerang rates as high as 12%) have also been successful in building alumni programs and re-recruiting boomerangs. However, the best practice leader in leveraging this approach based on my observations is management consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton. It has gone the extra step and dedicated resources to a unique team known as the “comeback kids” that has proven very successful in getting former employees to return.
Reasons for Hiring Boomerangs or Corporate Alumni
There are numerous reasons why you should develop a formal effort to re-recruit top employees who left your firm. Some of them include:
Other Benefits
Even if the target people do not return, maintaining the relationship may bring many other benefits that include:
Targets to Approach
Boomerang programs should not target every former employee. If, for example, Homer Simpson quits, count your blessings, and let him go. In addition, anyone who was fired or forced out should not be on the priority list, unless of course whoever forced him or her out has been forced out himself! Do not put a limit on the number of years that a former employee can be gone, but those who have left within the last two years are the most likely to understand your culture and situation. Some categories of former employees to target should include:
Expect Some Initial Resistance
Don’t expect every ex-employee to respond positively on your initial call. You might find some resistance on the part of former employees because they think that you hate them for leaving. As a result, it’s critical that you start any conversation with a potential boomerang with the statement “we understand why you left and we hold no animosity toward you.” There’s also another factor to consider. Because the number one reason individuals quit a job is because their managers are jerks, realize upfront that you need to tell all individuals who left for that reason that their former managers/adversaries are either no longer there or that they will not have any contact with them. It turns out that quite a few former employees will return because they love the firm, but very few will return in any proximity to the manager who caused them enough grief to force them out.
Other Possible Problems with Boomerang Efforts
As with all recruiting programs, boomerang programs have some possible problems that include:
Next week In part two of this series, I will discuss the steps required to build a world-class boomerang/alumni program.
