How To Rehire Employees After A Furlough
When the economy picks up and we need to start hiring again, what’s the best way to bring back furloughed employees? Staffing needs may be gradual as production and workloads trickle in. Forecasting an increase in business and assessing your future hiring needs will be the first step. So, what’s the best way to hire them back and what should the process look like?
A quick refresher on furloughs:
As we discussed in a previous post, the benefit of furloughing employees as opposed to laying them off is you have a greater potential to retain the talent. Furloughed employees remain on your payroll but are working without pay for a temporary amount of time. Employees that are furloughed usually get to return to work. Depending on the state or company policy people are not paid during furloughs but keep their benefits, such as health insurance. Furloughs are mandatory paid time off and employees should not be permitted to work.
Some questions to ask yourself and address before hiring them back:
Did they get another job or are they unemployed?
Do you want to hire them back?
Is the process of hiring them back the same as a new employee?
Are you required to rehire furloughed employees or can you hire someone else instead?
What legal requirements does your company have? And, what are their rights?
What is the risk if you don't rehire the furloughed employees?
How does FMLA and work compensation impact your decision to rehire?
What hiring criteria should you utilize when choosing which employees to hire back?
Is this an opportunity to raise the bar and hire others that improve your talent?
What are the best processes, procedures, and tools you should use to rehire?
Here are some best practices to consider before rehiring that may help mitigate risk.
Create procedures and guidelines for who and how you’ll rehire them. Be cautious and consistent to avoid any actions that may appear like discrimination. If you choose not to rehire someone, you may want to outsource a firm to help the employee find another job. This could reduce unemployment expenses. H2 Recruits offers this service providing the employee with consultation services such as: résumé review/creation/editing, interview coaching, and identifying potential opportunities.
After you decide which employees your company has decided to bring back, you’ll need to contact them to see if they are still unemployed and would like to return. A written offer of employment can be utilized.
In comparison, if you’ve laid off employees instead of furloughing them, there aren’t any laws requiring you to rehire them. So unless you have a company policy, stated intent, or a collective bargaining agreement; you don’t have to hire them back when you have a job opening.
H2 Recruits services to help you with the rehiring process:
1-Hour Human Resources Consultation to get your questions answered (more details below)
Tools for quick implementation of the rehiring process, such as offer letter templates
Employee services to assist any people you choose not to rehire
If any of these services could support your business, you can get in touch below. We are here to make this as seamless as possible for you, your business, and your staff.
We’re here for you.
If you need specific questions answered or could generally use some guidance to help you during this time in your business—our team is here to support you. Click below to book a 1-hour consultation with our Executive Team.
Investment: $250