Boomerang Employees: Once a TOPdesker, always a TOPdesker
Boomerang Generation. The term used to describe the generation who, after independent living while at university, return to the comfort of home post-graduation. Why is this relevant? Well, there’s a similar term in recruitment: boomerang employees. Referring to those who leave an employer only to bound back later down the line!
Whenever TOPdesker’s fly the nest to pursue new adventures, while not a conscious effort, we try and stay in touch as much as possible – it’s just what we do! Their professional growth is of great interest to us and we encourage them to keep an eye on TOPdesk vacancies as we continue to grow, too. We really believe that a key component for a company’s human assets are their ex-employees. Why? Well former TOPdeskers often work in similar industries and networks to us. Through them we have gained both new members of the team and customers! Therefore, this is testament to the importance of a great employee journey. From on-boarding to off-boarding, and perhaps even more importantly, beyond.
Saying goodbye, doesn’t mean goodbye forever!
Former employees offer much more than this though, they can be TOPdeskers again! According to Harvard Business Review: “It costs half as much to re-hire an ex-employee as it does to hire a brand-new person; re-hires are 40% more productive in their first quarter at work; and they tend to stay in the job a lot longer.” It’s clearly beneficial from a cost and productivity standpoint – but for us, it means we get a trusted, much missed colleague and friend back!
Having a TOPdesker return makes us feel proud that our culture and environment is one that people want to be part of again: we really are nothing without our people. And so, we would like to share the story of Tom, one of our many re-hire successes:
Tom meets TOPdesk …
“My first spell at TOPdesk began from a recommendation – positive word of mouth from a good friend is always the best endorsement in my eyes so I decided to apply! I worked part-time in a lead generation (LG) role alongside my final year of study and quickly began to realise that TOPdesk was a little different from other employers. Fundamentally, students work to supplement their income, but TOPdesk provided more than just a wage to help me pay my rent. The professional experience I earned as part of my initial role proved crucial to my future employment. The LG team were made to feel part of the bigger picture through attending industry events, getting invitations to work gatherings, being included in company-wide meetings etc.
Moving on to pastures new
After two years part-time I flew the nest and took up a full-time account management role with a digital marketing firm. Although the role differed from my previous job, the skills I’d learned at TOPdesk, from communications to sales techniques, provided an invaluable foundation in my new role when it came to conducting reports and upselling to clients. Over the following two years my work acumen grew, and my aptitude for training that was nurtured at TOPdesk materialised into a promotion to a senior role with more training responsibility.
I’d made many friends from TOPdesk and was still in contact with many former colleagues. I’m a firm believer in not burning my bridges, and that proved fruitful when I was approached on LinkedIn by my old manager
Tom
Could a return be on the cards?
As is mentioned in the introduction, I’d made many friends from TOPdesk and was still in contact with many former colleagues. I’m a firm believer in not burning my bridges, and that proved fruitful when I was approached on LinkedIn by my old manager. A new role had been created to manage the LG team in Manchester, and my skillset had been noted as a good fit. Although I hadn’t been actively searching for a role, the opportunity to interview and potentially return was too good to turn down. My prior experience certainly helped during the interview process, and when I found out I’d won the role I was excited to return.
New colleagues, fresh ways of working, same culture!
For me, TOPdesk’s working culture is unrivalled. The atmosphere is open, warm, friendly, and nurturing, perfectly exemplified by the continual guarantee of the job during the initial stages of the COVID outbreak. It eventually proved such a draw that I was willing to take the plunge even amongst an emerging pandemic! It’s been great being welcomed back with open arms and seeing faces old and new. That same team ethic remains strong from the welcome I’ve received. The addition of business units in the time since my first stint has given fresh structure and renewed purpose to the teams which is great to see.
TOPdesk have worked extremely hard to create not only a positive working atmosphere, but also foster close relationships with our customers too. You only need to look at reviews online – or ask any of us – to see this has been wildly successful. I wouldn’t have come back if it wasn’t the truth!”
by Thomas Mahon
