Never Say Goodbye to a Great Employee

We all have the one who got away: that spectacular employee who­­—for whatever reason—chose to move on from the company. While it can be hard to watch exceptional talent leave, never sever ties with a great employee. You never know when he or she may want to return to the company.

Why employees leave
Employees may choose to move on for many reasons:

  • Maternity leave, followed by time off to raise small children
  • Retirement
  • Other job opportunities
  • Personal issues
  • A mid-career job field change

In addition, some great employees may leave the company not due to their own choice, but because of a layoff.

If the employee had a positive work experience while at your company and a positive send off, he or she may keep you in mind for employment in the future. This can have several benefits for your company.

Benefits of “recycling” a former employee
An employee you’ve worked with before can often be a better hire choice than a stranger looking for a new job. This is because former employees:

  • Require less training to get started.
  • Are familiar with the company, and its policies and procedures.
  • Already know many of the coworkers (and clients) they’ll be teamed up with.

To increase the possibility of a former great employee returning, it’s important to take a few measures to make your company a viable option for the future.

Increasing your chances of “recycling” employees—what you can do
By following a few steps before key employees leave—and after they’ve left—you can increase the chance that they might want to return:

  • Keep it positive. Most likely you will have an exit interview with the employee. As these can be awkward, try to keep it as positive and comfortable as possible. Express gratitude: let the employee know you enjoyed working with him or her and would welcome the opportunity to work together again in the future. Remind the employee that he or she was a company asset.
  • Keep in contact. Drop the former employee a line regularly to keep your company top of mind. Consider email, social media or catching up over drinks. 
  • Offer a flexible work schedule. Employees who have left to raise children or for retirement may appreciate flexible work options as a condition of their return. Consider part-time employment, per diem or project-based hiring, flexible hours, or the ability to work from home. You may also wish to re-hire former employees for task completion, not for a certain number of hours per week.

Do yourself and the company a favor—consider re-hiring a former great employee!
You’ll save time on training with an employee you are used to working with. “Recycling” a former employee can benefit you, your team and your company.

Hap

We all have the one who got away: that spectacular employee who­­—for whatever reason—chose to move on from the company. While it can be hard to watch exceptional talent leave, never sever ties with a great employee. You never know when he or she may want to return to the company.

Why employees leave

Employees may choose to move on for many reasons:

  • Maternity leave, followed by time off to raise small children
  • Retirement
  • Other job opportunities
  • Personal issues
  • A mid-career job field change

In addition, some great employees may leave the company not due to their own choice, but because of a layoff.

If the employee had a positive work experience while at your company and a positive send off, he or she may keep you in mind for employment in the future. This can have several benefits for your company.

Benefits of “recycling” a former employee

An employee you’ve worked with before can often be a better hire choice than a stranger looking for a new job. This is because former employees:

  • Require less training to get started.
  • Are familiar with the company, and its policies and procedures.
  • Already know many of the coworkers (and clients) they’ll be teamed up with.

To increase the possibility of a former great employee returning, it’s important to take a few measures to make your company a viable option for the future.

Increasing your chances of “recycling” employees—what you can do

By following a few steps before key employees leave—and after they’ve left—you can increase the chance that they might want to return:

  • Keep it positive. Most likely you will have an exit interview with the employee. As these can be awkward, try to keep it as positive and comfortable as possible. Express gratitude: let the employee know you enjoyed working with him or her and would welcome the opportunity to work together again in the future. Remind the employee that he or she was a company asset.
  • Keep in contact. Drop the former employee a line regularly to keep your company top of mind. Consider email, social media or catching up over drinks. 
  • Offer a flexible work schedule. Employees who have left to raise children or for retirement may appreciate flexible work options as a condition of their return. Consider part-time employment, per diem or project-based hiring, flexible hours, or the ability to work from home. You may also wish to re-hire former employees for task completion, not for a certain number of hours per week.

Do yourself and the company a favor—consider re-hiring a former great employee!
You’ll save time on training with an employee you are used to working with. “Recycling” a former employee can benefit you, your team and your company. Looking for more information on hiring in the Atlanta Georgia area? Contact our team of experienced recruiters today.

 

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