Boomerang employees are back

If you are among the fortunate IT departments anticipating adding staff in 2006, industry watchers advise you to look close to home when recruiting.

Rehiring previous employees is a trend that's going to be in full swing in 2006, considering that more than half of 100 U.S. organizations polled in 2005 by Right Management Associates said they would hire a former staff member. That number is expected to grow this year, as IT departments' demand for specific skill sets and technology experience ramps up.

"We have noticed an increased appreciation for the boomerang or rebound employee in the past year or so. Companies believe the previous experience with and knowing the employee reduces the risk of a bad hire," says Joyce Gioia, president at The Herman Group, a consulting and research firm that specializes in workforce issues. If an alumni organization or outreach program for valued former employees doesn't already exist, your company should establish one, Gioia says. That way, former employees are aware of open positions, and all the information needed to rehire staff quickly is readily available.

Click to see: On the rebound graphic

David Rahbany, an employee of Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colo., says his return to the company had more to do with luck than any formal outreach program. He left the organization in 2000 following its acquisition by The Hain Food Group (now The Hain Celestial Group), because he feared the corporate culture he was accustomed to would change. He also wanted to take advantage of the then-IT boom while he had the chance.

"I was eager to pursue other IT-related fields before the bubble burst. Couple that with my concerns over the culture after we were acquired, and it just made sense to move on," Rahbany says.

But he didn't stay away long. About a year later, unsatisfied with the culture at his new company, Rahbany ran into his former employer, Mo Siegel, founder of Celestial Seasonings, at a hardware store. He told Siegel he wished he had never left and was happy to hear Siegel was willing to check for new opportunities within the company.

When Rahbany left, he was the systems administrator; he returned as an IT analyst. He says his role changed from managing computers and servers to focusing more on integration projects for the company as a whole. For example, when the company acquired other companies, he says, "I would integrate their networks into ours as well as their sales data into [our] centralized reporting systems." Although his responsibilities had grown and he was more challenged, he also was back with a familiar group of co-workers.

"It was a nice relief to get back with some of the people I had worked with and to return to the corporate culture I liked. It hadn't changed," Rahbany says.

He advises IT workers to consider carefully why they want to leave an employer before they make the leap. If they can increase their value in terms of IT skills and experience at a new company, it could be a good reason to leave and to keep their old company in mind for future job changes.