In this first completely qualitative study on boomerang employees (employees who leave an organization for various reasons but are later re-hired by it) we learn how these employees reintegrate with the focal organization (to which they return after leaving). The data reveals that boomerang employees encounter various forces that strengthen, destabilize, or disrupt their reintegration. As a result, employees vary in how they reintegrate with the organization. The return of the boomerang employee marks the onset of a process through which the experiences emerge as either a strong integration, a weak integration, or a disrupted integration. Some employees who experience a weak integration develop strategies to confront the barriers and resolve the issues that ultimately moves their reintegration to become stronger. Thus, the findings from this study suggest that stronger reintegration is not always automatic. As a result, sometimes it requires boomerang employees to take a more active role. Building on these findings, I develop a model of boomerang reintegration in the focal organization. I identify and elaborate on different pathways that lead to different forms of integration along with the underlying mechanisms. By studying the boomerang phenomenon, this study advances research on the boomerang employees, on individual imprinting in organizations, as well as on the socialization of employees. I conclude this article with discussing the implications of this study.
