March 28, 2012, 00:02 / Management

Employers are ready to rehire quit employees

Only 18% of HR managers believe that you cannot step into the same river twice: they will not accept into the company those who have already worked in it. But others see former employees as an inexhaustible source of proven personnel Rimma Avshalumova

After three years of working at CTI, project manager Platon Begun decided to try his hand at a new capacity in another company and quit, continuing to maintain relationships with colleagues. Two years later he was offered to return to a new position, and he agreed. “The core of the team remained the same, so we can say that I returned to my usual comfortable environment, which I don’t regret at all. But despite the fact that we knew each other well, I still passed the probationary period,” says Begun.

CTI considers it normal practice to invite former employees to work if they were effective, but left because the company at that time could not offer decent career growth.

“If we understand that a former employee can cope with new tasks and will be interested in it, then we are ready to offer to return. The advantages here are obvious: minimal time for adaptation, the most reliable forecast of his future success,” says Maria Ivanova, head of the HR department at CTI.

Hire twice

Judging by the results of a study conducted by the recruiting company MarksMan, Ivanova’s position is shared by most employers. 82% of HR managers from 800 Russian and international companies consider former employees for open vacancies. Of these, 42% are ready to consider ex-colleagues in any case, 35% - if they parted on a good note, 23% - only if the person is ideal for the open position.

“The personnel market has returned to all the pre-crisis problems. Good specialists are in short supply, so companies are ready to use this asset – former employees who have reached certain personnel heights. This is why returns become especially comfortable for top managers,” says Mikhail Torchinsky, managing partner of MarksMan.

Alfa Capital Management Company also has several examples of the successful return of former employees. “I have a pragmatic approach to this issue. I am not tormented by the reasons why the person left us. It’s important for me to understand whether he can continue to realize himself in our company,” says Yuri Grigoryan, HR Director of Alfa Capital Management Company.

A familiar candidate is a plus for Grigoryan: no need to look for recommendations from the market. It is known how it worked and what level of return can be expected from it. However, he will be considered on an equal basis with other candidates.

Of Shreya Leasing's 50 employees, three left the company but returned. “Leaving a company is not a stigma for life, but part of a natural process. And we don't rule out the possibility of hiring former employees; naturally, except in cases where the dismissal was due to the business dishonesty of a colleague or similar “irrevocable” reasons,” admits CEO Rostislav Futalo.

However, in this case, Futalo will be especially attentive to the motives that prompted the person to return.

“In one of the companies we advise, it is even customary to assemble a committee if the question is whether to rehire a former employee. First of all, the reasons for dismissal are discussed there. A mini-investigation will be carried out, even if it happened many years ago,” says Torchinsky. “So it’s always worth quitting in a civilized manner.”

They won't take you back

And yet, 8% of surveyed employers are not ready to hire returnees. 6% of them believe that leaving the company undermines loyalty to it, 24% of the company’s policy does not allow such a step.

Torchinsky says international companies are most receptive to rehiring. They do not perceive dismissal as a personal insult.

“I prefer not to hire former employees: as a rule, the next ones are always better than the previous ones,” Natalya Yakovleva, president of the Avis Group, is categorical. “If an employee quits, most often he cannot objectively assess the reasons for the dismissal and is subconsciously in a negative mood, considering himself obviously right in any situation.”

“In my opinion, rehiring an employee is a good tool for strengthening team cohesion and the company’s reputation in the labor market,” says Vera Anistsyna, head of the personnel selection group at the Unity HR Center. “After all, the logic is simple: if they return to the company (and this is not an isolated case), then the employer is worthy and interesting.”

Anistsyna says that in her practice there was a case when an employee returned to the company twice.

The most loyal

According to Anitsyna, there are many reasons for an employer’s refusal to re-hire: some on principle do not hire former employees, some are offended by the very fact of dismissal or consider the employee’s departure ugly - he violated the agreement, did not transfer the case, or subsequently could lure away clients from the former company.

However, the expert does not see any disadvantages in hiring former employees. “Most employees sooner or later leave the company; fears about double-playing on competitors are often paranoid,” sums up Anistsyna. “Returnees end up becoming the most loyal employees. They have no illusions that they will be better off in another place,” says Torchinsky.