Organizations must tap every talent resource to find the staff they need in order to stay competitive in the 21st century. One often overlooked source of talent is the boomerang worker, someone who previously worked for the company and wants to return, or a retiree who comes back into the work force out of a need for income, for fulfillment, or for some other reason. Advantages of Hiring Boomerang Workers It may seem counterintuitive to hire someone who left the company previously, but former workers bring several key advantages to the table. First, boomerang workers know the company culture and inner workings because of their previous experience. eBook: How to Attract Top Talent Using Inbound Recruiting – Find out how to harness the power of an inbound recruiting strategy in order to attract, hire, and retain top talent. Onboarding becomes much easier and and less expensive when you can skip half of the initial training that you would normally do with a new employee. Of course, some things may have changed, but your returning employee is usually able to spend far less time getting up to speed on the basics of the company and position, facilitating a shorter time to productivity overall. Boomerang employees who worked elsewhere and retired before their hire with your company may also have gained valuable skills with their previous employers and experience that your company can leverage to move forward. Retirees re-entering the work force may want to do so on a part time basis, which gives them more flexibility to help with grandchildren or pursue outside interests. Part-time workers typically are not entitled to the same level of benefits as full-time employees, which can help companies stay within budget. Companies get the added expertise of a more experienced worker at a lower cost when a retired employee comes back as a per diem or part-time worker. Helping Boomerang Workers Bounce Back The first step to a positive experience with a boomerang worker comes long before the worker decides to come back to a previous employer. Organizations need to ensure that good employees leave on good terms whenever possible. A poor exit experience with your company will prevent boomerang workers from wanting to come back, in essence blocking you from tapping into a valuable source of talent at a later date. Maintaining professional relationships with previous employees also increases the chances that those employees will decide to come back when the time is right, such as when a position opens up that might entice a retired worker to consider re-igniting his or her career. Recruiters can maintain records on former employees and reach out to them when the organization has a need for their particular skill set in order to ascertain whether they are interested in a new/old opportunity. ThriveTRM is a robust talent management solution that can provide the essential tools companies need to attract the best talent to their teams, including boomerang employees when appropriate. Schedule a demo today to explore all that ThriveTRM can do to enhance and support your talent management strategies.