Rehiring Former Employees: Should We Welcome Back Our Star Performers?

Dear Friends,

I am looking for some cases and professional guidelines on the re-recruitment of former staff or ex-employees. I am uncertain whether it is beneficial or detrimental, but recently many of our star performers have approached us about returning. Should we encourage or regret re-recruitments? Please share your views and experiences.

Dear Mr. Sinha,

The star performers are always an asset for any organization, and in my opinion, we should be open to reinducting our ex-employees. It is a matter of pride for the company if a former employee wants to rejoin.

However, guidelines should be established and included in the policy manual, which may be as follows:

Guidelines for Re-induction

The former employee may be considered for reinduction in cases where:

- His/her past performance before leaving was very high.
- He/she made valuable contributions in his/her areas.
- He/she is now considered a good professional with high competence.

Therefore, the factors to be considered while reinducting should be:

- Past performance
- Competence
- Expertise in certain areas

The former employee must not have left on a bad note, meaning there was nothing adverse against him/her in terms of integrity, discipline, behavior, etc.

Reinduction must be against an existing vacancy. The period of leaving should not be a major point. At any given point in time, if the former employee can add value, they should be considered for reinduction.

Regards,

Ashok Kumar

[Email Removed For Privacy Reasons]

Employees are the best ambassadors of the organization even after they leave. In today's market conditions, where professionals with the right skills and attitude are scarce, it makes sense to rehire ex-employees. The company benefits from having known their performance and cultural fit within the organization, provided they left on amicable terms, had very good or excellent performance, settled their dues, and did not breach the contract terms, especially in terms of confidentiality.

However, it is essential to ensure that rehiring an ex-employee does not upset internal equity or result in paying them higher than others who have stayed with the organization, unless they possess a rare skill that others do not have.

Regards,
Arif

I am sure you have a need to rehire that individual; that should be the first premise. You have already acknowledged him/her as a STAR performer, and I am assuming that his conduct/attitude was fine; otherwise, this discussion wouldn't have taken place in the first place.

Do you hire ex-employees?

Absolutely YES (based on acknowledgment that the resource had a STAR track record and behavioral fit).

Reasons:

You know each other, less orientation and ramp-up time. Known devil/unknown devil.  I think there's more good than bad, so if you think he was good for the company and had a smooth exit, both kept in touch, and wants to come back, go ahead and bring him on.