Be careful not to burn those bridges when leaving a job, because there is a good chance you could get rehired in the future if you decide to return.
The vast majority—87%—of human resource managers said they would welcome back an employee who had left on good terms, according to an Accountemps survey. Only 9% of those surveyed said it was unlikely they would rehire a former employee.
“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 Canadian president of Accountemps Dianne Hunnam-Jones.
“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.”
On the other side of the coin, however, most employees say they would not want to go back to their former jobs. The survey found 70% of workers say they are unlikely to apply for a job at a previous employer. Only 30% said they would be likely to do so.
The number one reason workers say they wouldn’t want to step back into former jobs is because of not liking their previous duties (21%), followed by disliking the corporate culture (20%) and not wanting to work with the same managers (15%). As well, 8% said they wouldn’t go back because they feel they had burned bridges, and an almost equal number—7%—said the company had burned bridges.
There are some ways organizations can work to keep the door open for employees to return, which include conducting exit interviews, keeping in touch, considering workers for different job positions within the company and letting them know they would be welcome to come back.
@EmmaHampelBIV
