So, you had a great employee who decided to leave your company for another opportunity. You tried to keep them, but they chose to make a career move. Fair enough. It happens. Sales employees move around frequently. A year goes by, and that same employee reaches out to you and expresses an interest in potentially coming back.

This is what is called a boomerang employee, a person who leaves and then comes back to work for a previous employer. It’s more common than most realize. Re-hiring people who previously left a job may become more common as the great reshuffle continues.

But the question remains, should you rehire a boomerang sales employee?

There are potential pros and cons to the situation. Obviously, a lot of it has to do with the specific employee, their position within the company, how they exited the company, and your sales hiring needs.

What does the research say about boomerang employees?

According to research by Harvard Business Review,

• Boomerang employees’ performance tends to remain the same after being rehired
• Both internal and external hires improve more over time than rehires
• Boomerang employees are more likely to turn over than either internal or external hires
• Boomerang employees are lower risk and more predictable

Pros of rehiring boomerang sales employees according to our Sales Recruiters

We polled our top sales headhunters. Here are their reasons you should seriously consider hiring a boomerang employee:

• You already know them. You know what you can expect out of them. They are a safer bet compared to candidates you don’t know.
• They will take minimal time to ramp up. They already have been in the job and know what is expected of them.
• They already know your company, policies, and operations.
• You have a better understanding of what you need to do for the employee to help them maximize their potential. You know why they left and what needs to change this time.
• They are a good fit if you are in dire need to fill a role quickly.

Cons of rehiring boomerang sales employees

There are also some potential drawbacks of bringing back a previous sales employee. Here’s what our sales recruiters said are concerns you should consider:

• They may have challenges adjusting to changes that were made while they were gone. They may have a “that’s not how it was done before” attitude.
• They may have challenges fitting back into their old team.
• The performance will be the same as before. There is minimal long-term growth expectation.
• You miss the chance to add a fresh voice and perspective.
• If they left once, they will be more willing to leave again.

As you can see, there are advantages and potential disadvantages to re-hiring a previous sales employee. Consider the pros and cons carefully to determine if a boomerang sales employee is the right hire for your company.

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