Rehiring Employee 2

[weeeds]

A good employee has left for the lush green grass on the other side of the hill, and found that it was only astroturf.
The individual now sees the error in their move and asks for their old job back.
Good employees are hard to find and we could certainly use this one, so what do we do?
Does your Company have a rehire policy?
What are the pros and cons of rehiring a well qualified employee?
What are your experiences, from the management and from the employee side?
Thank you for your feedback.

 

[KENAT]

The company I work for has re-hired people. Some of them ones that left, we've also re-hired (usually temporary) people laid off!

I'd think the biggest concern is, they've left for greener grass once, are they likely to do it again in a relatively short timescale.

Pros would obviously be that they have experience of not just the field but specifically your company so should be productive fro day one.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[TheTick]

Steve Howe went back to Yes. Robbie Steinhardt went back to Kansas. Why not hire an old hand back?

 

[SomptingGuy]

Richie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, David Lee Roth, hmm, not so sure ...

 

[greenone]

Better get the terms of rehire in writing. Does he start at his old seniority? Start over? Is there a waiting period for benefits?
Make sure there is agreeemnt, or he'll be out the door again.

 

[MadMango]

I suppose it depends on the circumstances surrounding their departure. If they left on good terms, I don't see the problem in bringing them back.

How long were they gone? If they were gone a long time, your company may have moved forward, and the rehire will not be the fit you think they could be. If they have only been gone a short time, the transition should be easy.

Are you in a supervisory position over the potential rehire? What are your thoughts about the rehire? You seem to indicate the rehire was a good employee. What makes them "good"? Are they truly, or is your department just settling for good enough?

Is your company in a niche market? Perhaps his skill set is too specialized, and the former employee feels ill-equipped to face life in a new industry. As Greenone states, get the details in writing, but this would be advice I'd give more to the rehire than to HR.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

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[jmw]

People move on. Someimes they want to come back and if they didn't burn lots of bridges, and you didn't want to see them go in the first, place, why not?
I've known several such instances and in one case the guy returned to his old position with all his benefits etc inplace as if he had never left.

This re-hire also saves you money spent on recruiting and the productivity issues with any replacement learning his job and establishing his place.

BUT: why did he leave? If the reasons he left are not addressed, he will be off again when he finds another job better to his liking. This needs action.

Hm... didn't we cover this in another thread somewhere?

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[GregLocock]

Afetr 18 months I returned to my old job, old desk, old manager on contract, and then 18 months later took it on as a permanent position. In those three years my pay rose by >50%, and oddly enough, I don't think I've applied for another outside job since, that was 9 years ago.




Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[weeeds]

I guess my problem has to do with the negative side of rehiring more than the positive.
We have experienced situations where, on rehire, employees have developed the attitude that they are special because they left, and then were accepted back. The ego kicks in and that has caused friction with other employees. As a result of that we decided a few years ago that once you leave, you are gone for good.
I understand that sometimes this can be like biting your nose to spite your face, but people can get pretty dumb when their ego controls their actions.
Have you found similar problems or do you think our situation is out of the ordinary?

 

[PSE]

If you have a formal policy of no hirebacks, then you follow your policy. You could perhaps side-step it in a manner similar to how GregLocock indicates with bringing them back in on a contract. Where I work we have a policy where you could return within 12 months without loss of seniority and subsequent benefits. Off hand, though I cannot think of an instance where the policy ended up being implemented. When people decide to leave, there are reasons for it. That is why the grass may indeed appear greener. Unless their reason(s) for leaving have been resolved, they may be likely to leave again.

Regards,

 

[foxbat1979]

I concur with PSE. If you do decide to re-hire, get him on a contract. If things don't work out, you can lose him much easier.
My personal opinion is that someone leaving, should not be returning in the short term (say up to 2 years). Also should they want to return after a longer period, make sure that the reasons he/she left have been resolved and discussed.

Solidworks 2006/DBWorks 2006 user

 

[DMcGrath]

I had a coworker of mine leave and then return within a year's time. Unfortunately he returned to a different (higher) position for significantly more money. This made those of us who stayed a bit sore when we found out. What will your coworkers think of the return?

 

[jgailla]

Leaving a company and returning a year later is common in civil engineering in my area (Florida), especially right after you get your P.E. It seems to be the only way to increase salary to a decent level. We've had one engineer leave for a year and come back, and one come in for a year and go back to his former company. Both increased their salaries by >$20,000. Both would have received only modest raises without switching jobs. I plan to do the same thing when I get my P.E., if the market holds up.

 

[weeeds]

I guess, in the end, we are all just hired guns. Do the job and move on to wherever the next higher paying gig is. Although I am not quite ancient, I still remember when loyalty to a company was the norm. In return the company was loyal to the employees, and the world seemed to be a good place.
Might as well face it that those days are loooong gone. There just is not the same amount of trust that existed before. Now we should have contracts to protect our rights, creating the "us vs them" environment.
I certainly don't like it but, I guess, I have to deal with it.
Bottom line, I suppose, is that managers must hire who they need and only for what they need. If tomorrow things don't look as good as they do today we must dump our human inventory, as there are no emotional ties. Bring them back, use them, and spit them back out.
Every man/woman for themselves!

 

[oldfieldguy]

jgailla makes a point about which I've had many conversations.

I've seen too many employers hire new guys with skillset X at dollar amount Y. After several years on the payroll, the guy now has skillset X+5 but has received pay increase Y+1.

He goes to Company B and shows them skillset X+5 and they give him Y+5 dollars.

What really stirs the pot is when guy with skillset X+5 and dollars Y+1 sees HIS company hire new guy off the street with skillset X+4 and dollars Y+4...

I fought that mentality for years.



old field guy

 

[SomptingGuy]

We have a cycle of growth and shrinkage here. During a shrinkage time, people are encouraged to take "voluntary redundancy", which involves a pay-off. Then during a growth time, they often get taken back on - sometimes into a similar position.

 

[epoisses]

Come on, how can you lose:
- you know the person better than any other canditate
- the person knows the organisation
- the person knows the procedures
- the person knows the job
- the person knows the external contacts
- the person will NEVER lose face even further and leave the company a second time!!

Of course I am assuming he left the first time without your company having pushed him to.

 

[Ashereng]

I have been on the other end - I've been hired back (more than once).

Companies often have to let people go. Why can't an employee leave?

I have no worries about hiring someone who has left - assuming of course you want them back.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
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[kchayfie]

The "grass is greener" argument can also be seen as a pro - all companies are faced with the same trouble and having seen that for himself and figured he likes the way you deal with it best he may be more inclined to stay put when other opportunites come along.

 

[Maui]

It would be a great help to everyone speculating on what the best course of action would be if you provide us with the following information:

1.) Why, specifically, did the employee leave? Was it to obtain a higher salary, better working conditions, more interesting work, etc.?

2.) If you choose to hire them back, will you need to directly address the reason why they left to prvent them from leaving again? Or will the experience with the other firm be sufficient motivation for them to stick around?

3.) Does hiring this individual back violate your company policies?

I have seen examples where employees leave for various reasons and then return. Sometimes after they return they stay for the balance of their careers. But somewtimes they are asked to leave shortly after their return. It all depends on their ability and character, whether or not your company and the offered position are right for them at this stage in their career, and the motivation of each party.

Maui