Pros And Cons Of Rejoining A Former Employer

Senior Communications Specialist for Insperity Recruiting Services, specializing in employment branding and recruitment marketing.

Whether you’re a job seeker looking to reenter the workforce or an employee considering your next big move, the company you choose to work for will likely have a bigger impact on your career than any other choice you make. As layoffs in many sectors provide job seekers with fewer choices, some will decide to take a step into the future by revisiting their past.

Known as “boomerang employees,” American workers who accepted a new job with a former employer accounted for 4.3% of all new hires in 2021. Furthermore, a majority of managers are open to boomerang hires. So what are the pros and cons of boomeranging back to a former employer? Let’s look at a few.

Pro: You’re stepping into familiar territory.

There are a number of uncertainties when starting a job with a new company. Will you be comfortable with the management style, get along with your coworkers and feel included in the company culture? If not, you could face months of job dissatisfaction or even restart your job search once more. But for boomerang employees, these things aren’t an issue. You’ll already know what to expect from the company’s management, employees and culture because you experienced them firsthand. So boomeranging back to a former employer can remove the uncertainty and awkwardness of the new hire phase, allowing you to skip right to the familiarity and confidence of a tenured employee.

Pro: Your onboarding and ramp-up will go quickly.

The onboarding process is what introduces you to your new employer, and it’s how you become familiar with company knowledge and procedures. Similarly, there’s a ramp-up period for new hires to reach expected productivity goals. However, boomerang employees already know the ropes and can hit the ground running, so you’ll know you’re contributing to your full potential right away. Boomerang employees’ familiarity with their role and management’s expectations allows them to get up to speed much quicker than traditional hires.

Pro: You’ll bring a refreshed perspective.

Career growth requires movement, and few employees start and end their careers with the same company. But not all job changes can be planned. If a new role isn’t what you hoped, you might find yourself wanting to return to the company you just left. On the other hand, if the new job is successful, the next career opportunity you’re offered could come from your former employer. Either way, as a boomerang employee, you may return with a fresh perspective—and often a greater sense of company loyalty.

This is because you’ve seen how other employers operate and had the chance to experience new and promising opportunities. But in the end, you realized the grass isn’t greener elsewhere. In returning, you bring new ideas and insights, enhanced skills and experience, and possibly new clients and contacts. This ultimately benefits both you and your employer.

Con: You can’t expect big changes.

There are a number of reasons why you may choose to leave a company, whether it’s a toxic work environment, a lack of learning opportunities or limited upward mobility. So if you left out of dissatisfaction, don’t expect miraculous changes if you decide to return months or years later.

Some employers are resistant to change, and if you were unhappy enough to leave once, there’s a good chance you’ll be unhappy again. Before boomeranging back to a company, check employer review sites to see what current employees are saying or contact a former coworker to find out whether things have improved.

Con: You may be facing bad blood.

Just because you’re hired back by a former employer doesn’t mean you’ll be welcomed back by everyone with open arms. In fact, some managers or coworkers may view your previous departure as a point of contention. From their perspective, it may seem that when things didn’t go your way, you left instead of toughing it out. So what’s to stop you from doing it again?

Employers want to hire workers who are in it for more than just themselves. They want employees who are dedicated to the company’s mission and to impacting the lives of clients. So even if you had good reasons to leave initially, there may be some who will view it as self-serving and your return as indecisive.

Con: You can’t guarantee the salary growth you want.

When it comes to career planning, salary is a big motivator. A recent survey found that, for professionals who changed companies, the average salary increase was 14.8%, compared to yearly merit increases of only 2-4% for employees who stayed put. Because of this, some employees may consider job hopping as a way to game the system. Thus, when applying to a former employer, they’ll assume the new salary offer will match the increase they saw after they’d left. However, using boomeranging solely as a salary booster could easily backfire. Because companies prioritize employees who share their goals and values, this strategy could cost you the job and derail your career plans.

There’s a big difference between job hopping your way up the career ladder and making thoughtful, calculated decisions that lead to success. Before boomeranging back to a former employer, take these pros and cons into account. Your return should be motivated, in part, by a desire to contribute something positive to the company’s goals and culture. Additionally, you must be certain that the reason you originally left won’t negatively affect your career going forward. By determining these factors and more, you can start to weigh the risks and rewards of traveling back in time to launch your career into the future.

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