Do you remember how many jobs your parents had? It's likely they worked for one company for 20 or even 30 years. If such a scenario seems like a relic of a bygone era, that's because it is—today, the average employee spends only 4.2 years with an employer. For millennials, the largest generation in the workforce, that number drops to just 2.8 years with an employer. However, according to a Workplace Trends report, 46 percent of millennials say they would return to a previous employer.

As leaders, we of course want our workforces to be satisfied and engaged enough to stay with our organization for many years. But in today's labor market, we need to embrace the reality of turnover and seek to make it a positive experience, not something to be feared.

How can we do that? A robust offboarding strategy can make the difference between an unhappy exit or a fond farewell for an employee. Here are three reasons why your company needs a world-class offboarding process, especially for those employees who you want to return someday.

1. Yelpification

We live in the age of Glassdoor and Indeed, where employees review their workplaces, managers and company culture just like they review restaurants on Yelp. That means maintaining a positive “employer brand” is more important than ever, especially with social media amplifying online sentiment with lightning speed.

If former employees leave negative reviews on popular websites, that will drive away future talent and interested candidates. In fact, nearly 1 in 3 employees have declined a job offer primarily because of online reviews, and almost half (47 percent) of millennials have rejected an offer for that reason. Also, be aware that potential hires will often reach out to previous employees via LinkedIn to find out what it's really like to work at your company. Sending employees off with a positive experience is a valuable way to protect your company's reputation and guard against negative reviews that can impact future recruiting efforts.

Your organization should utilize tools such as benefits administration software that assures employees they can have seamless benefits coverage as they transition to a new opportunity. Concern over losing benefits coverage is a stressful component of changing jobs, especially for those with medical conditions or families. Work with your HR leaders to ensure that your HR department prioritizes the offboarding transition. Employees leaving the organization should know that they can continue their coverage in a capacity that fits their unique needs, and that your HR department will guide them through the offboarding process.

Also, encourage HR professionals to make connections with departing employees. Invite employees to be a part of your alumni network if you have one (and if you don't, you should start one), where they can act as brand ambassadors. Social media sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook make these networks increasingly easy to establish and maintain, allowing your HR department to retain communications.

2. Boomerangs are welcomed

Goodbye doesn't have to mean forever, and increasingly it's more of a “see you later,” since 39 percent of employers plan to hire former employees. An employee may leave to pursue a dream job they just couldn't pass up or to take a chance on a startup. By making the offboarding process a positive experience, you're letting the employee know that your organization values their choices and understands their need to pursue an opportunity. Then, if their situation changes, or perhaps the new opportunity doesn't work out, these employees will be more inclined to return to your organization since they left the bridge intact, not burned.

These “boomerang” employees have a shorter learning curve for the onboarding and training processes, which saves time and money. In fact, the average cost-per-hire for new employees is around $4,000, yet boomerang employees can cost much less since they're already familiar with company policies, programs and culture. Returning employees also bring new experiences, sometimes even increased levels of education, back to your company. Your organization will benefit from their enriched perspectives and new skills, while still enjoying upsides such as faster and less costly onboarding.

3. Sendoffs matter to those who stay.

A positive offboarding experience can create a brand ambassador and possibly a boomerang employee, but it also signifies to your current employees that you and your leadership team respect their decisions and want to help them in their next steps. Does your organization have a thoughtful and attentive exit interview process in place? When an employee chooses to leave, do they feel like their reasons for doing so are truly heard and understood? Is your HR team establishing connections to stay in touch with an employee who leaves? These gestures may not seem like much, but they are extremely important for an employee to end their time with your organization on the best possible note.

Additionally, these gestures speak to your remaining employees about why it's great to work for your company—it's a demonstration of empathy in the workplace and shows that your organization values employees as human beings who are making decisions and going through changes. With employees more likely to stay with an empathetic employer, these positive good-byes can lead to more employees wanting to stay. That reduces the original issue at hand—turnover—thereby saving money and gaining efficiencies.

Just as we won't go back to days without email, we're not going back to a time when employees spend their entire career with one company. But this reality doesn't have to be a liability for employers. Ensuring your organization takes offboarding as seriously as onboarding — and that it's an equally positive experience — can turn this growing trend of the modern workplace into an advantage.

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Rae Shanahan is chief strategy officer at Businessolver.

Instant Insights /

3 reasons your company needs an offboarding strategy

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