Recruiters See Potential in Former Employees

As reported by HRI, multiple considerations underlie employers' willingness to rehire former employees, observes Bruce Tulgan, head of the Connecticut-based management-training firm RainmakerThinking Inc. According to Tulgan, the overall shift from long-term to short-term periods of employment has made employers more amenable to rehiring former workers, as has the desire to recoup the investment an organization has made in finding and training employees. Certainly, Tulgan says, the tighter market for talent - especially in industries such as health care and accounting - has made companies more willing to reconsider their traditional approaches to recruitment, including rehiring policies. Finally, he explains that retention rates for rehired employees tend to be high, making them a more sought-after group among potential recruits. (Staffing Management [Pulley], July-September 2006)