{"id":999881572,"date":"2016-09-13T15:52:00","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T15:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/?p=481780348"},"modified":"2016-09-13T15:52:00","modified_gmt":"2016-09-13T15:52:00","slug":"best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/hiring\/recruitment\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees","title":{"rendered":"Best Ways to Rehire ‘Boomerang’ Employees"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"shutterstock_215318806\" With tech talent at a premium, it\u2019s no surprise that more companies are giving up on the notion that when an employee departs, the door to future opportunities closes firmly behind them. One professional recalls approaching a former employer about an open position, only to be told: \u201cWe\u2019re sure with the excellent training you received here, you\u2019ll have no trouble pursuing opportunities at other companies.\u201d But to put it in colloquial terms, that dog won\u2019t hunt anymore: with so many businesses looking to fill so many tech roles, employers have to get used to the idea that their software developers, engineers, data scientists and pretty much anyone involved in tech are either being pursued by recruiters or stumbling across opportunities on their own. \u201cYou have to realize good people will leave when presented with the right opportunity,\u201d said Greg Ambrose, CEO of Stack Talent, a human capital consultancy in Chicago that helps companies hire engineering professionals. \u201cThe question is whether they\u2019re leaving like a spouse who\u2019s filed for divorce or a sibling who\u2019s going abroad.\u201d Recruiters and tech managers agree that hiring back a former employee\u2014the boomerang employee\u2014requires a different mindset than recruiting new blood. Here are five key things to consider as you mull whether to bring a tech pro back into the fold. <\/p>\n

Rehiring Begins Before the Employee Leaves<\/h3>\n

If moving around has become a more common part of tech\u2019s working world, it\u2019s self-defeating to maintain a blanket policy against returning employees. More importantly, you should recognize that people who feel like they\u2019ve been badly treated, or who loathed your company\u2019s culture, aren\u2019t going to be inclined to come back, no matter how much you might want them. Rehiring is a process that should start when people are still employees, Ambrose believes. That means maintaining a workplace that\u2019s attractive to tech pros in terms of the technology they use, the assignments they\u2019re given and the way they\u2019re managed. If someone left because they didn\u2019t like the workplace, assume they\u2019ll call their contacts within the company to see whether things have changed. \u201cYou have to understand what makes your target employees happy,\u201d Ambrose said. <\/p>\n

Keep Things Cordial, and Stay in Touch<\/h3>\n

When an employee resigns, don\u2019t take it personally\u2014and don\u2019t let the hiring manager involved vent their frustration at the departing professional, either. \u201cTreat them as friends of the company, and even consider forming an alumni group,\u201d Ambrose suggested. \u201cMake them feel like they\u2019re part of an extended family.\u201d <\/p>\n

Treat \u2018Rehiring\u2019 Different from \u2018Hiring\u2019<\/h3>\n

When considering a former employee for a job opening, remember that you\u2019re dealing with someone you know. For that reason, Ambrose suggests following a different process than you would for a candidate you\u2019re meeting for the first time. Begin with social, rather than formal, interactions, such as lunch with the candidate\u2019s former colleagues. Have an open and honest discussion about their previous experience with the company, and how each side could improve upon it. Again, Ambrose speaks of treating former employees \u201clike a member of the extended family. After all, you should already know them.\u201d <\/p>\n

Evaluate the Context<\/h3>\n

Whether or not to rehire someone depends a lot on context, said MJ Shoer, chief technology officer of Internet Telephone, LLC, a managed-services provider based in Methuen, Mass.: \u201cI\u2019d look at the circumstances of their departure and return.\u201d For example, Shoer would be less inclined to hire back someone who simply thought the grass was greener at another company than he would a tech pro who moved out of state for personal reasons. The individual\u2019s integrity, too, is an important consideration. Shoer asks himself whether the candidate is a person who\u2019ll keep their promises or \u201cjust jump when the occasion arises.\u201d Talent shortage or not, he notes, employee departures are \u201cdisruptive,\u201d especially for a company like his, which is \u201ctrying to groom teams that are going to be around for a while.\u201d <\/p>\n

Consider Internal Impacts<\/h3>\n

Finally, Shoer suggests carefully thinking through the impact that rehiring someone may have on a team and department. For example, an existing worker may have thought they could take the role now filled by a boomerang employee. That sort of thing is liable to cause a host of problems, including demoralization. \u201cYou have to identify and consider internal concerns,\u201d Shoer said. With all that said, Ambrose believes employers need to take a longer-term view when it comes to rehiring boomerang employees. Noting that tech companies often spend sizable amounts of money training and developing their employees, he asked: \u201cHow do you maximize that investment? You\u2019re not going to see a good ROI if everyone who leaves doesn\u2019t want to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With tech talent at a premium, it\u2019s no surprise that more companies are giving up on the notion that when an employee departs, the door to future opportunities closes firmly behind them. One professional recalls approaching a former employer about an open position, only to be told: \u201cWe\u2019re sure with the excellent training you received […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":481780348,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2155],"class_list":["post-999881572","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hiring-candidates"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBest Ways to Rehire 'Boomerang' Employees - Dice Hiring<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With tech talent at a premium, it\u2019s no surprise that more companies are giving up on the notion that when an employee departs, the door to future\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/hiring\/recruitment\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Best Ways to Rehire 'Boomerang' Employees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With tech talent at a premium, it\u2019s no surprise that more companies are giving up on the notion that when an employee departs, the door to future\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/hiring\/recruitment\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dice Hiring\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-09-13T15:52:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dice.com\/hiring\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/shutterstock_215318806-2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"667\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dice Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Dicedotcom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Dicedotcom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dice Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees\"},\"author\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Dice Staff\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/authors\\\/dice-staff\"},\"headline\":\"Best Ways to Rehire ‘Boomerang’ Employees\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-09-13T15:52:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees\"},\"wordCount\":806,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/shutterstock_215318806-2.jpg.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Hiring Candidates\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dice.com\\\/hiring\\\/recruitment\\\/best-ways-rehire-boomerang-employees\",\"name\":\"Best Ways to Rehire 'Boomerang' Employees - 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