The Promise (and Risk) of Boomerang Employees

Today, more than a quarter of all “new” hires are in fact boomerang employees: workers returning to a former employer after a stint somewhere else. This phenomenon can represent a threat to retention efforts, as new hires may be increasingly liable to boomerang back to their previous employers, but it also represents an opportunity, as former employees may serve as a strong, known talent base for recruiters. To better understand who is most likely to boomerang, when they’re likely to do it, and the factors motivating these workers to take the leap (back), the authors analyzed three million employee records covering more than 120 firms from 2019 to 2022. Based on their findings, the authors offer a variety of defensive and offensive strategies to help employers capitalize on the boomerang opportunity while mitigating the risks.