RE-KINDLING AN OLD FLAME

While the practice of creating alumni relations, alumni chapters and alumni reunions have been a common practice among universities, the corporate sector has rarely focused on alumni network of its ex-employees. A concept that was pioneered by McKinsey, employee-alumni relations have not been too popular in India. Not surprising - considering India has not particularly done well in employee engagement.

Global consultants like PwC, KPMG have employee-alumni network portals to enable its ex-employees to reconnect should they want to at any point of time. They actively consider re-hiring ex-employees or considering referrals from their ex-employees. Post-recession, some Indian companies started showing similar intent and Infosys, Wipro considered re-hiring employees laid-off during recession. 

The rationale of re-hiring ex-employees comes from the fact that they are not only accustomed to the corporate culture but they have been tried and tested hands, with proven record of previous performance. Besides since they left, they have had other experiences. Hence once back they bring fresh ideas and perspectives on the table that could help the company get a competitive edge. 

HDFC Bank is the latest to join this growing tribe. The bank, which had 68,165 employees at the end of March, aims to re-hire as many as 3,000 former employees over the next 12-18 months. As the bank plans to grow with stability and not with by taking risks, old hands may be good back home. 

But then, as there are pros and cons of rekindling an old flame, there are similar issues when it comes to re-hiring an ex-employee. And companies must be cognizant of the same. Else it may prove to be a pain in the neck rather than a shot-in-the-arm.

1. 'If you want to rekindle an old flame, you'll need to first discuss what went wrong the last time' (Psychology today). - This piece of wisdom holds true when attracting back ex-employees as well. Why an employee left in the first place, is important to determine. HDFC on its part is targeting ex-employees who had good performance track record and are presently doing well in their current companies.
   
2. 'Do you really miss your ex or do you just hate dating?' (Psychology Today) - Faced with talent scarcity and stiff recruitment targets, at times for the recruiting team, the decision to hire back ex-employees may be an easier option-out then attracting fresh talent. Hiring an ex-employee must be taken purely on their merit and need to have them back.
   
3. 'Before you start emailing your ex, remember that jealousy is normal. So deal with it.'  (Psychology Today) - Talented ex-employees may been hired by the competitor. Trying to win them back just because one's competitor has them otherwise, is not going to be sustainable.
   
4. 'If you haven't learned this basic lesson, chances are you're just missing a warm body.' (Psychology Today) - Certain things may not have worked right during the first stint of the employee. They may have been recorded in various organizational documents like appraisal documents, exit-interview transcripts. Learning from the old mistakes and continuously re-inventing the system is important for an organization. Hiring back old employees and letting them face the same flaws in the system doesn't make sense.
   
5. 'Are you trapping yourself with an on-again/off-again relationship? Sustaining a long-term relationship is commendable' (Psychology Today) -The question remains that  - Can they make the home 'sweeter' and the second home-coming even more so? Engagement has to be a serious intention behind such initiatives; and remember 'Re-Engagement' is going to be more challenging.

It remains to be seen if HDFC Bank's old flames ignite it's mission or not. And do other companies follow the suit and the 'mantra' of Re-Engagement. 

Reference: Re-kindling an old flame or not by Catherine Shu, Psychology Today, 2005