This article was edited 9/29/2025 for clarity.
Today’s workforce is without a doubt dynamic. In the wake of the pandemic, the traditional idea of a definitive “goodbye” from a voluntary or involuntary departure between employers and employees has evolved. More organizations are now recognizing the value of boomerang employees, which are former staff who return, bringing a combination of fresh experience and institutional knowledge, proven performance, and cultural fit. Boomerang employees can also provide cost savings and reduce recruiting and ramp-up times, making them an increasingly attractive talent pool.
Whether a departure is voluntary or involuntary, how an employee experiences their exit can have long-term implications for both their willingness to return and the organization’s employer brand. One of the most effective ways for organizations, especially in competitive or niche industries, is to cultivate a boomerang-friendly culture is by investing in long-term relationships through career transition solutions.
This article explores how career transition support, including outplacement services and coaching, can help organizations manage departures thoughtfully, preserve relationships, and keep the door open for boomerang talent.
To see why thoughtful departures matter for boomerang talent, let’s start by looking at how layoffs can shape an employee’s experience, and influence their future employment choices.
How do layoffs emotionally affect employees?
Layoffs affect people deeply, shaking their confidence, identity, and security beyond professional or financial implications. How an organization supports its departing employees in that moment of vulnerability has a lasting impact, both on the individuals exiting, the retention of those remaining, and on the company’s brand reputation.
Career Transition Solutions, and more specifically, Outplacement Support, play a key role in softening the disappointment of job loss. These types of services provide people with resources, tools, strategy, and career coaching to support the search for the next role, whether a similar one in a new organization, transitioning into entrepreneurship, consulting, or semi-retirement. Partner’s International’s Career Transition Program offers these outplacement services with flexibility to meet the unique needs of each individual participating.
Coaches that partner with employees who have been laid off not only provide job search tools, but also much-needed structure, clarity, and one-to-one guidance during an uncertain time. The result? Departing employees feel seen, supported, and respected, which are emotions that linger far longer than the initial reaction.
Why does a positive offboarding experience matter?
There are times when an organization simply needs to reduce labor costs, and there are ways to downsize with compassion. When you look beyond the numbers, there are real people with livelihoods, fears, and concerns. Employees who receive personalized transition and outplacement services and coaching during a workforce reduction are more likely to walk away with a sense of goodwill. They’re also more likely to:
- Speak positively about the company in future interviews
- Maintain connections with former colleagues and leaders
- Consider returning if a relevant opportunity arises later
- Share more favorable impressions through word of mouth or online platforms like Glassdoor—helping preserve your employer brand
The experience of a well-supported transition can leave a lasting impression. As one Partners International Outplacement Candidate shared candidly,
“I was a hot mess on that first call, to put it bluntly – scared, depressed, and incoherent. I hadn’t conducted a job search in about 20 years and, to make matters more challenging, I felt like I might need to veer off my chosen career path…Looking back, I find it almost hard to fathom how far, and how fast, I travelled under my coach’s guidance. In short, color me deeply impressed and eternally grateful for an experience that, in the truest sense of the term, was transformative.”
What’s the long-term value of Outplacement Services?
Outplacement services and support does more than help people navigate job loss, it helps them reflect, rebuild, and realign. That positive experience creates a lasting impression of an organization after a layoff.
If your organization is planning a reduction in workforce or simply wants to build a more resilient talent strategy, Partners International is here to help. Our Career Transition Practice offers custom tailored outplacement programs with a range of solutions for organization and employees. When the time comes for organizations and employees to separate, our career transition services are designed not just to support exits, but to leave the door open for the possibility of meaningful returns.