Boomerang Employee

Meaning & Definition

A boomerang employee is someone who previously worked for the same employer and now comes back to work for the same company again. A boomerang employee may have worked at other organisations to learn new skills, gain new work experiences, or find a better job fit.

For Human Resources, re-hiring a boomerang employee is generally quicker since they already understand the procedures and culture of the company.

Significance of Boomering Employee

• By re-hiring boomerang employees, an organisation can save time and money.
• Boomerang employees bring new skill sets and work experience to the same company.
• Boomerang employees tend to exhibit higher retention and engagement rates, and positive employer branding can help retain and engage employees.
• Re-hiring boomerang employees is usually less of a challenge than hiring new employees.
• Boomerang employees can be useful to assist in planning and developing workforce capabilities.

Compliance & Policy Considerations

This term does not relate to any particular statutory requirement or regulation.

Re-hiring boomerang employees should align with:

• Policies on which employees are eligible to be re-hired, and how the organisation will complete background checks for those employees.
• Compensation and seniority policies for boomerang employees.
• Processes for completing exit clearances and determining compliance history for boomerang employees.

Organisations can enforce consistency and fairness when establishing clear policies on the re-hiring of boomerang employees.