If you are looking for hard proof that an employer has an excellent company culture, ask your recruiter, “Are you open to rehiring former employees?” or, better yet, if they have a program for it.
Rehiring former employees could be a significant advantage in the current hiring climate. It signals that the company culture is so good that it’s worth returning to.
Not every employee or company is open to it, though. A study by the firm UKG reveals that only 1 out of 5 employees have returned to their former company in the last two years.
However, TOA Global has bucked the trend and has even launched a recruitment program to support employees who want to return to the organization.
In this blog, we sit down with Raymark Visda, a returning employee and TOA Global’s Payroll Services Manager, to dive deep into why he is back to living the #TOAlife.
Cultural fit
The biggest pros of welcoming back a former employee is they bring with them new skills sets, unique insights, and even leadership experience which they gained while working for another company. This is why it’s important for organizations to create a smooth exit and keep the door open for return.
For Raymark, TOA Global always made it clear that they would be happy to take former employees back. When he rejoined the company last year, he says it’s as if he’d never left because everyone was welcoming and supportive.
“It was very easy to integrate back into the company, so I did not start from scratch. Although there have been some changes since I left, still the familiarity is comforting – the operating processes, the collaborative energy, and the passion to always bring the wow remain unchanged,” he shares.
In his time away, RV says it allowed him to develop a fresh outlook on TOA Global as well as “a renewed sense of appreciation and realization that my purpose, passion and career aspirations are more aligned with our company values”.
When asked what makes the company different from his previous job, RV says: “It’s really the culture and how TOA Global supports the employees in every aspect of their personal and professional life”.
Strong relationship ties
While the team he returned to is not the same as the one he left, this worked to his advantage. “I wanted to have a fresh start and set a new standard as well as new expectations. So, it really helped that I’ve met new people who made the transition seamless.”
He also had a chance to reconnect with some of his former colleagues. “It’s so nice to see familiar faces and be able to catch up with them. They even made sure I had all that I needed to get up to speed. The great thing about TOA Global is it’s easy to establish – and re-establish – a good working relationship with people because that’s just part of our culture,” he adds.
Better work-life balance
He rejoined TOA Global after working remotely for about a year. The biggest part of his adjustment was the lack of collaborative energy and the growing sense of isolation during the months he spent working from home. Work-life boundaries became muddled since he couldn’t fully switch off after clocking out. “I couldn’t give my full attention to my kids because I tended to put in extra hours. Even though I was home every day, they would just see me hunched at my desk,” he shares.
Going into the office daily allowed him to put some distance between work life and home life. He’s also able to spend more time with his kids. “Every time they see me coming back from work, they would ask me how my day went and what I did at the office. Probably because they don’t see me 24/7 anymore that’s why they’ve become more curious.”
He also shares how much he missed having a meaningful interaction at the office. “I’ve really missed the office energy and being able to have a face-to-face interaction with the people. The remote work environment could never quite recreate the experience of having a hallway conversation or taking a quick coffee break with a colleague at the pantry. It just feels different.”
Career progression
The biggest aspect that pulled Raymark back to TOA Global is the role they offered. At the time, he was already considering expanding his career experience. So, it was easy for him to decide when he was approached to return to a bigger and more global role.
Raymark has been back for a couple of months now and is more inspired to make a bigger impact. He knows what is expected of him and how he can leverage the valuable knowledge and experience gained when he pursued opportunities elsewhere. “The leadership team set clear expectations of how things may be different since the company has grown so much over the past year. I see it as an opportunity for me to bring in more ideas for improving organizational processes and propose unique approaches that could potentially help the business.”
What he likes most about returning to TOA Global is the level of support given by the leadership team. “They’re always open to new ideas, especially if these will result in better employee experience and business outcomes. Having supportive leaders is a unique characteristic that makes TOA Global what it is.” Raymark says.
The TOA Global Difference
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