Marketing Staffing Boomerangs: As Downsized Companies Start Hiring Again, They’re Bringing Back the Same Workers They Recently Laid Off
In an interesting piece by Virginia Backaitis for The New York Post titled The Comeback Kids, it turns out that many companies are hiring back the same workers they laid off.
Many of these workers got laid off not because they were poor performers, but because their position was eliminated due to the ailing economy. As the economy starts picking up a bit and employers look to fill jobs that were recently eliminated, they’re finding in some cases that the best candidates are the very people they had to let go.
And, in an about-face from a corporate mentality that until recently had frowned on rehiring laid-off employees, they’re bringing them back.
According to a recent survey by the outplacement firm Right Management, nine out of ten employers are now open to rehiring former employees.
The attractions of rehiring a departed employee are obvious: Their skills are known, they’re familiar with the corporate culture and their ramp-up time is minimal. They have deep company knowledge, established relationships and they can jump straight into projects because they understand the tasks required.
In addition to eliminating or diminishing the need for training, rehiring can boost morale within a company as well.
It should be noted that many companies are bringing workers back using a variety of configurations; they’re hiring them as independent temp workers or through staffing agencies; they’re hiring them as project workers, temp-to-hire workers and even incorporated contractors.
Some workers would rather not return. They have bitter feelings against their company, and perhaps their boss. But many are flattered to receive the call, and recognize that the fact that their previous employer is calling them back indicates that they thought highly of them.
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