Should You Go Back to Your Old Job? Here’s What to Know About Boomerang Employees

By Moon Harper

May 08, 2024 05:00 AM EDT

Boomerang Employee — (Photo : Unsplash/Adeolu Eletu )

Careers in 2024 are vastly different from those in the 1950s, where people spend 20 or 30 years working for the same company.

According to The Hill, in 2020 and 2022, the median worker aged 25 to 34 had been in their current job for 2.8 years, compared to three years in 1983. This indicates that companies, including small businesses, are frequently hiring, training, and losing employees, particularly millennials and Gen Z talent. Workers change jobs so frequently that it is not uncommon for someone to leave a company only to return later, similar to a boomerang.

Workplace experts believe that boomerang employees might emerge as the next major trend following the Great Resignation, where numerous workers quit their jobs during the pandemic in pursuit of higher pay or what they deemed as better opportunities.

Why Are Boomerang Employees Leaving Their Companies?

Boomerang workers typically depart from their jobs voluntarily, rather than being terminated or pushed out by their employer, as driven by personal or professional reasons, or a blend of both. While often for another job, the reasons can vary widely, with primary reasons including:

Poor work-life balance and burnout
Lack of career development opportunities
Not feeling valued
Frustration with executive leadership
Poor company culture

Why Are Boomerang Employees Coming Back?

What defines someone as a boomerang employee is their eventual return to the company they once previously left. Once again, these individuals come back for a variety of reasons, which are just as diverse and personalized as the reasons they initially left. Sometimes, it is as straightforward as an employee taking a new job and realizing that it is not what they were promised, prompting them to return. Among those who quit their jobs during The Great Resignation, a pandemic-era phenomenon, 43% now acknowledge that they were better off in their previous role! Some may feel more capable of performing their former job now, armed with new skills, experiences, and perspectives.

The primary reasons employees return to their previous company include:

Missing their peers/coworkers (38%)
Feeling more familiarity and comfort in the role (31%)
Missing the customers (22%)
Better compensation/pay (19%)
Better work-life balance (16%)

What is The Edge of Boomerang Employees?

According to research, boomerang employees tend to stay with organizations longer than the average length of service for new hires, partly due to their in-depth understanding of the business. Whatever the reason, hiring teams recognize that recruiting boomerang employees can help reduce attrition rates.

Boomerang employees also offer unique perspectives. They have developed their skills and experience at other organizations and combined these assets with institutional knowledge gained from their previous tenure at the company. This not only contributes to a well-rounded understanding of the industry but also enables them to share skills and insights with their teams.

What Are The Bad Implications of A Boomerang Employee?

While boomerang employees can bring valuable skills and insights to a company, there is the risk that they may return with the same concerns or issues that prompted them to leave initially, potentially leading to repeated problems. Their return could also disrupt established team dynamics or relationships, particularly if there were unresolved conflicts during their previous tenure. Furthermore, some colleagues or managers may perceive boomerang employees as less loyal or committed, which could impact trust and working relationships.