Career returners often fly under the radar. They’re the ninjas of the job market, stealthily filling the skills gaps you didn’t even know you had, silently bringing an abundance of experience to workplaces across the country. Without any fanfare, they provide a wealth of knowledge and invaluable assistance to leadership teams in industries nationwide. And they do it all so unobtrusively that you’ve probably never even thought about them. Returners don’t always feature highly in the plans of hiring managers. Few companies have a department dedicated to returners. But if you’re in the know, returners can be your secret weapon - your ticket to success. Given everything that returners can offer, we think it might be time to lift the lid…
So why should you hire a returner? Firstly, the most striking thing about returners is that they're absolutely chock-full of determination and enthusiasm. They'll bound through your door in the morning as though they're on a mission and embrace everything you can throw at them with a steely sense of purpose. They’re not weary or jaded. They’ve made a conscious decision to return to the workplace and to fully commit to building their career once more. If they're returning from a period of stay-at-home parenting, they may be grateful for the adult company. In many cases, they’re certainly grateful for the opportunity that you’ve given them - and this can pay significant dividends, in the form of employee loyalty. They appreciate that you’ve invested time and effort in recruiting and onboarding them, of course. But if their career break's been an extended one, their confidence may have taken a bit of a knock; they may well be especially thankful to you for welcoming them back into the career fold.
They're not just an invigorating presence within your team, though; career returners can also build diversity within your workforce. We all know the benefits for our organisations of diverse teams; research has shown that organisations who strive for diversity do better financially, display more innovation and make better decisions. I mean, it stands to reason. If you can bring to the table perspectives from a wider range of communities and groups, then you can approach new challenges in a multitude of ways, and offer a far greater range of solutions. And it's not just beneficial around our own board tables; when we turn outwards to face our client base, it’s in everyone's interests to make sure that the community at large is represented in our own teams. It increases the likelihood that our people can form connections with our customers and stakeholders. It builds those great working relationships which are so crucial to long-term organisational success. And showing that you care about building a diverse workforce makes you more attractive as an employer generally – to your existing employees and those you’d like to attract in the future. In fact, two thirds of job hunters said that a diverse workplace was important to them in considering the next career move .
It can be difficult to find the talent you need, but the returner community can be a fantastic source of diverse candidates. In practice, however much we like to think that we're working towards equality, it’s still often women who end up taking a career break - perhaps to look after young children or elderly parents. It’s not a huge surprise, therefore, that a significant proportion of returners are female. At a time when we're all working to close the gender pay gap, welcoming career returners can be a great way of attracting experienced female professionals into your business. In many ways, it's an easy win for your company; if these returning employees feel seen and supported in their career ambitions, you'll have managed to secure a pipeline of talented female team members who'll hopefully go on to assume senior leadership positions within your organisation in the future.
It’s also true that people with disabilities can face additional challenges in building their careers and that the unemployment rate among people with disabilities is considerably higher than among those who don't experience disabilities. Certainly in the wake of the pandemic, many of us have seen that people with disabilities may sometimes want to, or indeed be forced to, take a career break - and therefore, that they may also be found within the returner community. Again, supporting opportunities for people with disabilities to rejoin the workforce is a win-win. It's great news for the individuals in question, of course. But it's also a fantastic outcome for their organisations, who can improve diversity and may be able to access untapped and highly-prized professional skills within this community.
Speaking of skills, the returner community is full to the brim of skilled and talented workers; they often have many years of valuable experience which they can bring to your organisation. And don't necessarily assume that those skills are rusty! On the contrary, many returners have engaged in some form of retraining before they re-enter the workforce - it's possible that they might have received relevant training more recently than your existing employees... Then there are the life skills they've acquired during their time away from the office. In many cases, they can enable returners to approach problems with a fresh pair of eyes – something which can only be of benefit to your company. Sometimes, but not always, returners are looking for roles with some flexibility. If you’re lucky, the flex they're seeking may involve, for example, part-time hours. What a win for you! All that extensive experience at a fraction of the cost. In fact, if you’re a start-up or a small business, hiring a returner can be a winning move financially. It may enable you to access talent and experience you could never have afforded otherwise. Ultimately, it’s the wisdom that returners can bring to your decision-making processes that can really make them worth their weight in gold, however many days they spend at work.
Finally, in many cases, it’s the untapped nature of the returners' pool which is so special. You may be able to hire individuals - either through informal networks or through using agencies such as 9-2-3 Jobs - who simply aren’t active anywhere else in the job market. They know what flexible working arrangements they need in order to be able to give their best to your organisation. They're talented, hugely competent and highly experienced. Wouldn't it be great to steal a march on your competitors by pulling together all those years of knowledge and wisdom before they even knew that this resource was available for them to hire?
Here at 9-2-3 Jobs, we're proud to say that we speak to hundreds of returners every year. They're interesting and interested people and they never cease to amaze us with their career achievements and the exciting projects they’ve undertaken during their time away from the office. As we head into Autumn, if you’re thinking about the next steps for your team, please do get in touch. It’s time for us to blow open the secret world of returners and start showing off what they can do. We think we’ll have some wonderful candidates for you!