How much effort do you put into recruiting and hiring former employees? Keeping in touch with former employees takes extra effort, but as a hiring manager, this effort definitely pays off when a former employee returns. Hiring past employees is called “boomerang” employment and as the demand for rehabilitation professionals continues to grow, this trend is becoming more acceptable in today’s job market. Here are some things to consider as you take advantage of this growing trend.
Changing attitudes towards boomerang employees
According to a study conducted by The Workforce Institute at Kronos Incorporated, “nearly half of the hiring managers who participated in the study claimed that their organization previously had a policy against rehiring former employees, even if they left in good standing.” The main concern in rehiring an employee are whether or not they will leave again, and whether or not the issues that led to their departure have been resolved. According to this study, the stigma of leaving a company continues to hang over the heads of boomerang employees who are rehired.
However, according to the APTA’s Physical Therapist Supply/ Demand Projections, by the year 2020, studies predict the U.S. will have an unmet demand for physical therapists and other healthcare professionals. This shortage creates a concern for hiring managers, who need to maintain an adequate staffing level to ensure good patient care. And since previous employees already know the job and the facility, they can basically hit the ground running — making boomerang employment a fast and easy way to add staff.
The obvious benefits of rehiring a former employee are causing employers to revise their hiring policies.
In fact, The Workforce Institute discovered that a whopping 76 percent of employers are more accepting of hiring previous employees than they have been in the past. Unfortunately, most employers lack a clear strategy for staying in touch with their organization’s alumni. Directors of Rehabilitation have a golden opportunity to develop strategies that encourage former employees to return. The top reasons why an employee might consider switching back to a former company, according to this survey, are for better employee benefits or a better career path.
Stay connected to your former employees
Rehab Managers who desire to stay in touch with former employees have a host of communication tools at their fingertips. Email newsletters, as well as social media groups, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, are some popular choices. Using these tools to keep your high performing alumna “in the loop” on milestones, celebrations, events, and other news worthy accomplishments from your department may pay off with an easy hire. In today’s competitive workforce, switching jobs is more common than ever. Creating a workplace culture that engages employees– even after they’ve moved on to other ventures, can help fill your hiring pipeline with both boomerang and new talent.
Tell us about your experience.
What’s your take on rehiring former employees? Good practice or a bad idea?
What policy do you advocate for your facility? Why?
Please share your insights in the comments below.
