How to return to the company. How to return to your previous job

To a man whose relationship has ended, we say: “When you leave, go away,” we let him go and no longer want a repetition of previous quarrels, scandals and mistakes. We believe that you cannot step into the same river twice, and therefore we are burning bridges behind us, deciding once and for all to put an end where there was a comma just yesterday. We do the same when we quit our jobs. Confident that this “romantic story” has come to an end, we turn our backs on our previous place of service and move towards new achievements, victories and successes.

But sometimes circumstances are such that we have to think about returning to where we left forever, and sometimes this decision is not easy.

The return of the “prodigal parrot” is a serious test both for the employee himself and for his superiors. And it’s one thing if the “parting” was peaceful and quiet, but quite another if the “parrot” flew away noisily, demonstratively and didn’t even wave its wing goodbye.

In this case, the employer has every right not to support the employee’s idea of ​​​​working again in his native company, since he will expect another trick from him, and working with those you don’t trust is very difficult.

So, the leadership is more or less clear, let’s return to our “parrots”. They are also tormented by doubts: they left their previous place of work to find something better, or just because of what seemed best at that time, but they were disappointed, did not get what they wanted, and now they are forced to bite their elbows and be afraid of the ridicule of former colleagues and jokes like: “Well, have you tried it? Have you finally decided to start working seriously?”

In addition, the ex-employee has a completely understandable fear of again “running into” what once served as the reason for dismissal: conflict in the team, inadequate management, uninteresting tasks.

And even though now the old place, even with all its shortcomings, seems so dear and close, the obsessive “this is a step back, this is an admission of one’s own insolvency” is still spinning in my head.

What should you do if the very thought of returning to your previous job puts you in a state of “I want it, I feel like it, and my mother doesn’t tell me to”? Should you throw it out of your head, or should you try your luck again where you left? And finally, how to do it right, saving face and reputation?

In what cases can you return?

You can return to your previous job in the following cases:

1. If you are called to a higher position than the one you previously held or currently occupy in another company.
2. If the reason for your dismissal has been eliminated. For example, the management with whom you had conflicts changed, or some colleagues left who did not allow you to work peacefully.
3. If you quit not because of low wages or because of conflicts in the team, but because of moving to another city. We are confident that in this case there will be no problems with re-employment.
4. If the management of the company invites you to work again because they see you as an experienced person who can also look at the company’s affairs in a new way. This approach really works.
5. If you left peacefully and calmly and remained on good terms with colleagues and management. This is probably the most important secret to success when returning to your previous place of work.

How to return correctly?

Of course, each case is unique, and what helps others may not work for you, but there are a number of recommendations, if followed, you can make your return a common holiday, and not the beginning of a complex and conflictual relationship.

Firstly, be friendly and smiling when communicating with colleagues and superiors. You shouldn’t go into the office and, looking critically at the space, say: “Yes, I see, nothing has changed here. The same old shabby tables and computers from the Stone Age.”

It’s better to show that you are very happy about your return, are glad to see those with whom you have worked for so long, and are ready for new common victories and achievements.

Secondly, if you returned to this company in a new status, for example, as a manager, or your salary is now significantly different from what it was before, do not rush to brag to your colleagues. They are already on their guard: you returned, and on your own terms, what makes you better than them? Therefore, behave as if nothing has changed, there is no need to make enemies.

Thirdly, don't walk around like a beaten dog. You shouldn’t rush from one extreme to another: neither the role of a braggart, nor behavior in the spirit of “do you mind if I sit here quietly in the corner?” will not help you get used to the team again. Show that you don't feel guilty about quitting in the first place. Well, well, it just so happens, anything can happen.

Fourth, get ready for the wariness of your colleagues and superiors. There is no escape from this, and no matter how hard you try, at first the team will still take a closer look at you. You are a new person, despite the fact that you have already worked here before. Therefore, just carry out your duties and be patient: time will pass, and you will become “in the board.”

When you left, didn’t you burn all your bridges behind you? Then your former employer will probably be happy to take you back. However, this was not always the case.

Over the past five years, the situation has changed, says Dave Almeda, Head of HR at a cloud-based human resource management platform Kronos. According to research by Kronos and WorkplaceTrends.com, 76% of 1,800 surveyed employers in the United States are ready to take back “boomerangs” (as runaway employees are called in the United States), despite the fact that until recently 50% of companies had official policy not to hire former employees. And many companies have become more loyal to their former employees than before.

Columnist Fortune Anna Fisher I received the following letter from my reader: “Does it make sense to return to the company where I previously worked? I spent ten years there and then accepted an offer from another company because they promised me more responsibility, more opportunities, more money. However, after three years, I realized that there were things at my old job that I took for granted, especially the company culture. There is less bureaucracy, less formality, more willingness to take risks and a better attitude towards new ideas (at least reasonable ones). I left my old job on good terms and still keep in touch with some of my colleagues. Recently one of them told me that a position a couple of positions above my old position had become available. He thinks this is the perfect reason for me to come back. For me, such an offer would be tempting.” Has this ever happened to you?

Now, more than half of hiring managers and human resources leaders say they give high or very high priority to former employees. This shift in priorities is partly due to a talent shortage, but familiarity with the company and onboarding quickly are more important. “It's much less risky to work with a former employee than to hire someone from outside who later won't do the job,” Almeda says. “In addition, the return of the former, those who were looking for greener grass but did not find it, has a positive effect on the rest of the employees: they will think twice before leaving.”

However, this study also points to the potential pitfalls of such a solution. Almost one in three HRs are confident that a candidate who has left the company once will try to do so again if a good opportunity arises. In addition, a quarter of hiring managers fear that an employee is still carrying baggage they left behind at their previous job. Therefore, it is very important in the interview to clearly explain why you miss your old job (for example, because it strives for innovation) and how you plan to use the experience you gained in your new job in the long term.

Regarding “previous baggage,” Almeda says: “A lot depends on why you left your previous job. If it's because you don't fit into the corporate culture, you have a conflict with your boss, or other similar reasons, then it's unlikely that the situation will change when you return. Most likely, the hiring manager will decide that it is better for you to move on rather than return to the same old problems.” Everything should look as if there were no problems left, so during the interview it is better to talk about those things in the company that you lacked in the new place. It won't be superfluous.

Almeda is a “boomerang employee” himself. He returned to Kronos about a year ago after spending just a month at another company. This is what he advises those who left but decided to return:

1. Talk to former colleagues. If you keep in touch with them, it should be easy. You need to ask in detail those who are still working in the company and find out their impressions: the situation could have changed a lot since you left. New technologies, processes, and so on could appear. It would be wise to know this before you go for your interview.

2. Focus on the future. This is generally useful during an interview, especially for boomerangs. Don't talk too much about past experiences in this job, it will look like you miss them even if you don't want to. Even if you're asking a specific question about things you liked or didn't like, be careful not to give the interviewer the impression that you're stuck in the past. If you ask: “Is this still the case with you? I really liked it,” it will be inconvenient if they answer you “not anymore.”

3. Avoid the hiring department. Contact your boss or person directly who might recommend you as an ideal candidate. “You shouldn’t follow the usual path like any outsider. Kronos employs 180 boomerangs, 90% of whom did not go through the hiring department,” says Almeda.

Image source: pixabay.com

Imagine: with a light heart and in anticipation of something new, you leave the company where you have worked for some time and happily go to another job. However, after a few months it turns out that the responsibilities that the recruiter enthusiastically told you about at an interview, yours is different, the salary is lower and the team is not very good... And you have the idea of ​​​​changing companies again. And then the second one comes: “Maybe we should return to our previous job?” Is it worth it?

We must not forget that the vast majority of employers with prejudice refer to “runaway” employees: they are often perceived as real traitors to the company, its values ​​and corporate culture. But not only bosses, but also colleagues look askance at the “returnee”: whispers behind your back are guaranteed. In addition, it sometimes happens that they agree to accept a “prodigal” employee only under certain conditions: all responsible work is removed from him, but there is a lot of “turnover”, and wages are paid in a smaller amount. Now think, do you need this “happiness”?

Of course, only one of the possible scenarios is described, but, unfortunately, the most common one. The situation in this case may worsen if the employee dares to move to competitors. In the corporate code of some companies there is even a strict ban on accepting back such “runners”. Even if you are lucky and there is no such clause in the charter, the attitude towards you will be at least distrustful. Consequently, you will have to re-confirm your professionalism in the eyes of management and colleagues, and even with greater diligence and diligence than before: your reputation has already been tarnished.

The most important question that you must decide before returning to your old job is what exactly didn’t suit you? Salary, responsibilities, team, management, schedule?.. If you treat If you do this lightly, you risk “getting into trouble” a second time. It makes sense to return to the old place if the cause of dissatisfaction has been eliminated. For example, you didn’t like your boss, but after a personnel change, a person with whom you had a good relationship took the helm of the company; or the team was only half renewed; management, having assessed your new experience, is ready to increase your salary by 20 - 30% or more...

Of course, if you were offered more at your old place, then you should not rush headlong to your previous place of work. It's better to take a break and look around. It may very well turn out that the offers existing on the labor market are no less interesting, and they pay even more.

What is another disadvantage of returning to your old place? It's always a repetition of the past. If you are oriented for further development and self-improvement, then the choice must be made in favor of the future.

In any case, the question “Should I return to my old job for a second time?” It is always decided individually: it is very difficult to foresee all the little things and details and give some kind of universal advice. That's why, when leaving the company, don't slam the door: maybe circumstances will turn out so that you have to return.

Remember the poem from the cartoon about the seven-flowered flower: “Fly, fly, petal, through the north to the east, through the west, through the south, come back, making a circle...”. Something similar happened to you: you quit your “native” company, where you worked for a certain number of years, worked in other places and areas and came to the conclusion that “it’s good where we are not.” In other words, you started to think about returning to your old job.

Approximately this situation arose with Marina. She worked in one large cosmetics company, and quite successfully: from an ordinary employee she “grew up” to the position of manager working with VIP clients. But at one fine moment I realized that at this point I had achieved everything and there was nowhere to “grow” further. Marina was satisfied with the salary, but was not satisfied with the lack of career prospects. And after a while, the income no longer seemed so wonderful, and the work that I had loved so much before began to tire me. Marina quit her job and, through the patronage of a friend, got a job at another cosmetics company, with an order of magnitude higher salary. After some time, she was offered to work as a business coach - teaching less experienced managers how to sell cosmetics. Unexpectedly for herself, Marina became interested in the business, developing a whole series of trainings devoted to various “subtleties” of selling. Marina really liked the job, but was not satisfied with the new team, or rather, the not entirely healthy psychological environment, the principle of “divide and conquer” carefully cultivated by the management. More and more often she remembered her old job, colleagues with whom she had excellent relationships. The girl realized that she didn’t mind returning to her previous place, only as a business coach. But how will the bosses perceive her return, how will the team look at it, etc.?

One can understand Marina’s fears. HR specialists claim that in our country most companies (not all, of course) prefer not to accept “returnees”, and if they do, they look at them askance. In the West, this is considered a completely common, normal phenomenon. Employers are not afraid to take such employees (they even coined a special name “boomerang people”) back. Moreover, a valuable specialist may be offered a salary increase or transfer to a higher position. The employer’s logic is simple: if an employee returns, it means that he considers this company to be the best in terms of working conditions and pay. Accordingly, having something to compare with, the employee will no longer leave the company and will begin to work more actively for its benefit. In some American companies, for example, ¼ of the staff consists of boomerangs. People in the Old and New Worlds are accustomed to the mobility of the market, and perceive the search for the “best place in the sun” quite adequately. Honor and praise to the skillful leaders, and the “returnee” is welcome.

However, in our open spaces the realities are somewhat different, and they need to be taken into account. Let's look at two return options and what to expect in both cases.

OPTION 1...HE CAME HIMSELF!

You, of course, remember the famous phrase from the film “The Diamond Arm”: “It’s not my fault, he came himself!” The former management can take approximately this position and create appropriate working conditions for you. I would like to clarify in order not to frighten potential “returnees” in advance: the option is quite possible, but not necessary, much depends on the personality of the leader. Still, let’s arm ourselves with the principle “believe the worst, hope for the best” and think about what can happen in the worst case.

You will be denied a job. Many leaders perceive “boomerangs” as traitors who, as we know, have no place in our ranks. This is not entirely the right approach, but, on the other hand, the manager can be understood: he has been “cultivating” and training staff for so many years, and then an employee with experience leaves. Of course it's a shame.

They will hire you, but they may create working conditions that are not entirely comfortable. There will simply be a desire to punish the “defector”. For example, at one time I worked as a teacher at a technical lyceum. The salary, naturally, left much to be desired. A certain commercial higher education institution rented a couple of offices in our lyceum. They didn’t have enough teachers, so they offered to teach some subjects to the lyceum staff, including me. Soon I decided to go to work at this university, since they paid much more there. Alas, a little time passed and the commercial educational institution ceased to exist, and I was left without a job. What to do? Of course, come back. After all, I was always in good standing at the lyceum, and they let go of a valuable specialist with great reluctance. I was accepted, especially since the lyceum was in dire need of teaching staff. But the director’s attitude has changed dramatically since then, naturally, for the worse. At every convenient and inconvenient occasion, I was reminded of the “shameful flight”, at every teachers’ meeting they urged employees not to follow the example of certain individuals, etc. In general, after three months I quit, now forever, which I don’t regret.

The attitude of the team may not change for the better, even if you previously got along well with your employees. This is quite natural (although it is offensive for you): time has passed, one of the “young people” has gained experience and has taken (or has plans to take) your place. Again, new ambitious employees could appear in the team; they do not care about someone’s past achievements. Perhaps at your previous job you had not only friends, but also ill-wishers who will begin to whisper at every corner, including to the management, that “you showed up without dust, but you once abandoned the company in difficult times,” etc. p.

Once again I want to emphasize: all of the above is a possible, but not at all obligatory, version of the course of events. Although if you are going to return, you need to be mentally prepared for various “surprises”. Now let's think about what awaits you when you return to your previous place of work in the best case scenario:

Absence of everything described above.

You will not face an adaptation period. You are familiar with the specifics of your work, with all the peculiarities of the character and work style of your superiors, you know “who is who” in the team, which means you will no longer make “wrong” personal contacts. In other words, you can't go wrong with the person.

Surely you still have friends at your “old new” job with whom you can now communicate every day. These are trusted people, you can rely on them, they will “cover” and help you in difficult times.

OPTION 2. YOU'VE BEEN INVITED

In this case, the situation changes radically, so we will start with the point about what awaits you in the best case. See the subparagraph with the same name above, and also:

A significant salary increase or transfer to another, more prestigious position. If for some reason this was not offered to you, you can safely demand it yourself. Right now, the company needs you more than you need it. Consequently, the “invitee” has the right to put forward certain demands. An example from life. A friend of mine, a blooming woman of 57(!) years old, having worked for 15 years as a secretary to the head of a very reputable publishing company, decided to retire. Two young girls were taken in her place. Less than six months later, she began to receive offers to return, since the company, I quote verbatim, “lost part of its image.” A friend agreed, but demanded a significant increase in salary. The director without hesitation gave orders to the accounting department, and the professional took his previous place.

You can count on the full support of management in the implementation of all your projects and endeavors (within reason, of course). Your opinion will be listened to and taken into account.

At worst

Surely the reasons for leaving were quite serious. If during your absence from your previous place of duty nothing has changed, although it should have (!), then you will get a kind of de ja vu. In other words, very soon you will realize that “you’ve already seen all this somewhere,” and it’s possible that you’ll want to quit again.

WHEN SHOULD YOU RETURN?

Of course, the philosopher was right when he said that you cannot step into the same river twice. But it is quite possible to get a job at the same company twice. However, before making the final decision to return, carefully weigh all the pros and cons so as not to lose your current job and never find “work happiness” at the “old new one.” Your return will go smoothly if you:

We are confident that the management and staff will accept your “second coming” normally.

If you quit your previous job without a scandal, leaving behind a prepared, worthy replacement, you completed your work and projects.

If at another place of work you gained more experience (held a higher position) or experience in another field and are ready to share this knowledge and skills with the “old” company.

Oksana Bondarchuk