Leave the Door Open for Employees to Return to Your Organization | Harvard Business Review

As organizations continue to report challenges in attracting and hiring top talent, one potential untapped talent acquisition strategy is recruiting back former employees. According to a UKG survey across six countries comparing responses of 1,950 employees who quit their jobs since March 2020, nearly half of people (43 percent) who quit their jobs during the pandemic now think they were better off at their old job. And, 75% of respondents said they’d be interested in maintaining contact with their previous employer. This HBR article presents several practices for cultivating relationships with former employees to make it easier for them to return to the organization—often referred to as “Boomerang” employees. One tactic used by Bain to stay connected with departing employees is their robust alumni program. One element of the program is to have departing employees—known as Bainies—select an employee responsible for staying in contact and building a long-term relationship with them. This practice, along with others, enables Bain to “leave the door open” for those who ever want to come back. What tactics is your firm using to re-recruit former employees? As a bonus article, you can check out an MIT Sloan Management Review article, The Benefits and Risks of Rehiring a Boomerang Employee.