Lessons from Boomerangs: How to Keep the Door Open for Departing Employees

At JDM, we approach the employee lifecycle with the same transparency and commitment to excellence that we offer our clients. On the transparency front, from day one, we make it clear that employment is not a lifetime guarantee from either the employee or JDM.

We view it as part of our role as an employer to develop our team members to take the next step in their career, whether for us or for another organization.

When our team members choose to leave for another opportunity, we celebrate the work they’ve done with us and make sure they know that they’ll always be part of the JDM story. We don’t take this approach because we hope they’ll come back to the fold, but we love when it happens.

Of those who have voluntarily left, 23% have boomeranged or expressed interest in returning. In 2024 alone, a handful of former employees have either rejoined or inquired about returning to JDM (and employees aren’t the only ones who have boomeranged).

Here are the top three lessons we have learned about why folks choose to come back to JDM.

Culture

Our boomerangs, aspiring boomerangs, and departed employees consistently give us high marks on our Culture during exit interviews.

We receive positive feedback on management, training, learning and growth opportunities, and, most importantly, the people at JDM.

Learning and growth through work and training

JDM acts as an extension of our clients’ marketing teams, treating their businesses as if they are our own, and we make that kind of investment in our employees’ careers.

We prioritize employee growth and development by offering a professional development stipend, dedicated time for learning, training for people managers, and training by department.

A graceful exit

When an employee moves on to their next role, while we may be sad, we also celebrate their successes and future endeavors. Although the end of an employee-employer relationship can be awkward or uncomfortable, we have found that it’s important to celebrate wins and make their exit as smooth as we made their onboarding. 

By ensuring there is a smooth transition, we can learn from their feedback during exit interviews and maintain connections through our Alumni network or LinkedIn.

Whether an employee stays with your company for 10 years or 10 weeks, our point of view at JDM is that investing in them and their career development is always a smart move.

Keep an eye on our Careers page if our approach sounds like a good fit for the next step in your professional journey.