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UPFRONT
WOULD YOU REHIRE A FORMER
EMPLOYEE?
The majority (87 per cent) of HR managers
said they would roll out the welcome
mat for a returning employee who left on
good terms, according to a survey from
staffing firm Accountemps.
“Former employees are already familiar
with the work culture, expectations and
training requirements of the organization,
which means less ramp-up time and fewer
surprises,” said Dianne Hunnam-Jones,
Canadian president of Accountemps.
“Organizations should keep this in mind
when an employee is leaving and make
an effort to ensure that exit interviews
are productive and civil, leaving the door
open for great employees to return down
the road.
“Before rehiring a previous employee,
it is important to consider why they
left initially,” said Hunnam-Jones. “While
a worker who left to pursue professional
development opportunities might be
coming back with more to offer in skills
and experience, an employee who left
feeling dissatisfied may return similarly
unmotivated. Hiring managers need to
ensure that employees are coming back
for the right reasons, and are enthusiastic
about once again being part of the
organization.”
Accountemps offers the following tips
to companies that want to leave the door
open for departing employees:
1. Conduct exit interviews: Get
feedback from employees who resign
and act on the information if it
improves the work environment.
2. Part ways professionally: Avoid
isolating those who’ve given notice. If
they are leaving on good terms, treat
them as members of the team until
they walk out the door for the last
time.
3. Communicate intentions: If you
think you’d like to rehire exiting
employees, let them know they’d be
welcomed back. Sometimes the grass
isn’t greener somewhere else, and they
might jump at the chance to return.
4. Stay in touch: Keep in contact with
former employees who were top
performers. You never know when
their situation might change and
they’ll be in the market for a new job.
5. Consider “boomerangs” for different
roles: If they’ve gained new skills and
experience, they may be better suited
for other positions or departments.
AS INNOVATION BECOMES A
TOP BUSINESS STRATEGY, HR
NEEDS TO THINK CREATIVELY
Cost management, talent management
and productivity remain top current priorities
for HR and non-HR business
leaders in 2015, unchanged from 2013.
But for the first time, innovation is now a
leading business priority, according to the
latest Chartered Institute of Personnel
Development (CIPD)/Workday HR
Outlook leaders’ survey.
The findings highlight that new ways
of working and operating is an increasing
reality for organizations. However, while
there is general agreement about overall
strategic priorities, it seems to be less clear
to the wider business how HR will contribute
to achieving them. Despite nearly
three-quarters of HR leaders saying that
their current people strategy will help the
organization achieve its future priorities,
just a quarter of other business leaders
agree. Also, although 31 per cent of non-
HR business leaders think HR should be
focusing on diversity to help achieve innovation
in the workplace, just 19 per cent of
HR leaders said they were.
“With people being at the heart of how
businesses operate, HR has a significant
role to play in wider organizational innovation,”
said Dr. Jill Miller, research adviser
at the CIPD. “This requires business-wide
Paolo Schorli/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
IF YOU THINK YOU’D
LIKE TO REHIRE EXITING
EMPLOYEES, LET
THEM KNOW THEY’D
BE WELCOMED BACK.
SOMETIMES THE
GRASS ISN’T GREENER
SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND
THEY MIGHT JUMP AT
THE CHANCE TO RETURN.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MAY/JUNE 2016 ❚ 11