The rise of the Boomerang Employee

stating that they would like to return to their pre-Covid employer, a mere 18 months after leaving. Across 2021 we saw record pay rises offered to professionals, with promises of an uber flexible and hybrid culture. Come 2023, and these pay rises now pale in comparison to the rising cost of living and inflation – with those new starters who were offered inflated salaries being much less likely to have received a pay increase this year. It appears that workers are realising that the grass may not have been greener after all.”

82% of those surveyed admitted to staying in some form of contact with a previous manager –with almost a third stating that this was for the primary purpose of keeping the door open for future job opportunities (29%). In fact – a quarter of professionals have admitted to reaching out to a previous employer in the past year regarding job opportunities, with a further 11% stating that they have not done it yet but intend too this year. Less than 1 in 5 employees have completely shut the door on previous employers, with 18% stating that they keep zero contact with their previous manager.

Whilst the sentiment may be there from professionals, it seems the same cannot be said for managers – in fact 44% admit to being hesitant in allowing an old employee back into the team, with just a fifth stating