Backing the boomerang: how FreeAgent welcomes back familiar faces

After the Great Resignation came the Great Return… and with it, the rise of ‘boomerang employees’ - those who left for pastures new, only to return to their former stomping grounds. According to a May 2024 survey by recruitment agency Robert Half, 48% of UK workers would consider returning to a former employer, up 8% from 2023.

At FreeAgent we’re proud to be a company that people - from interns to alumni - are drawn back to. We’re advocates for rehiring and delighted to welcome familiar faces back, but what draws people to rejoin our Edinburgh-based company and what is the experience like? We spoke to Brad, George, Sandra and Tobias - all FreeAgent boomerangers - to find out.

Returning to new (but familiar) waters

Sandra Milne joined FreeAgent back in 2010 to help develop our communications team and strategy. (Back then the comms team was only a few people - today it’s grown to over 40!) A few years later, after running her own business, Sandra came back to lead on content and awareness, then acquisition. Today she’s responsible for brand strategy and earned media. “We have such an amazing culture here at FreeAgent, which makes for an amazing brand to share with small businesses, accountants and bookkeepers,” says Sandra.

As a part of the Edinburgh tech community for over 17 years, FreeAgent has long been invested in supporting the next generation of engineers with our summer internship programme. (You can read about some of our interns’ experiences on our Engineering blog). Another benefit of hosting young talent is meeting potential future employees.

That’s how FreeAgent first got to know Brad Turner, who has been a Junior Software Engineer on the Banking Integrations team at FreeAgent for over a year now. Brad’s journey with FreeAgent began back in 2022 as a summer intern at FreeAgent HQ - when he left a great impression on the Engineering team.

“Halfway through my final year at university I was considering graduate schemes, but knew in the back of my mind that I’d like to return to FreeAgent,” said Brad. There were no positions advertised at the time, so Brad reached out to the FreeAgent Talent team. Coincidently, someone was leaving the Engineering team. (You never know until you ask!) Fast forward a few months to the day after graduation and Brad became a full-time member of the FreeAgent Engineering team. His work now involves day-to-day coding of the FreeAgent product and all the behind-the-scenes magic that keeps our award-winning software running.

George was also a summer intern who returned to FreeAgent as a full-time engineer two years ago. “I really enjoyed being an intern at FreeAgent. I worked on a real project - not something ‘pretend’ - and I received lots of help and support from colleagues,” George explains.

“After I graduated, I got in touch with my manager from the internship and the FreeAgent Talent team to ask if I could return full-time. Luckily, within a few weeks, I managed to get a position as a junior software engineer - this time in the Workflow team, who are responsible for developing lots of FreeAgent's core features, like invoicing and expenses.”

The grass isn’t always greener

Tobias Haar is based in Newcastle and recently celebrated his second work anniversary at FreeAgent. He first joined the team years ago as a developer and then transitioned through roles in management. When the time felt right to leave and gain experience outside of FreeAgent, Tobias branched out to enrich his skillset elsewhere.

After a two year hiatus, Tobias returned to FreeAgent. He brought back with him his experience with the ‘engineering pendulum’ - the concept that the best technical leaders are often the ones who go back and forth between individual contributor and management roles - and applied that knowledge and experience to a new role.

“The [two years] away from FreeAgent gave me the opportunity to explore other opportunities in the tech industry and grow my skills… Returning to somewhere you’ve worked before teaches you what you do and don’t like - and that sometimes the grass isn’t always greener,” said Tobias.

Today, Tobias is a remote software engineer on FreeAgent’s Core Services team. They work on a host of key projects and application support, collaborating across teams and making sure things are running smoothly in the background. “Think of it like keeping the foundations, plumbing and electrics of FreeAgent running,” said Tobias.

In Sandra’s experience, FreeAgent’s dedication to the company vision is something to be proud of. “The one thing that stands out to me about FreeAgent is our vision to make small businesses happier and more successful,” she explains. “We live this every single day at FreeAgent. I've not experienced that level of living a company vision when I have worked for another organisation. I did embody the same principles in my own business though!”

The value of invaluable experience

As an employer, one of the benefits of welcoming folks back is knowing they’ve already been a valued member of the team and a good fit for the company. Like Sandra, a veteran of FreeAgent for almost 15 years, who brings a wealth of brand knowledge and experience that comes from working in different roles across the comms teams during her tenure.

That value of experience goes both ways. When you return to work with a previous employer, prior experience within the company - from understanding strategies and values to familiarity with people and processes - means you’re already starting at an advantage on your first day back. It can help you feel more confident and reassured about what to expect from a role, a company and even the culture.

“There’s a degree of risk reduction and knowing what to expect - and in a world of uncertainty, you want to reduce uncertainty,” said Tobias.

Brad came back to FreeAgent to join a different engineering team, but his past experience as an intern meant he felt more comfortable about what to expect from the job. “It’s nice to come back to somewhere you’ve worked before, as you’re already familiar with aspects of the business and the culture - like at FreeAgent we have the weekly Engineering Forum and then the company-wide Town Hall on Fridays. For me, it just felt like I’d just taken an extended holiday,” said Brad.

A warm welcome (back)

We’re honoured when people choose to return to FreeAgent. But we know it isn’t just about welcoming someone back. It’s also about supporting them with the transition and facilitating opportunities for growth. “We want to make sure it’s not just an easy move back, but also just as meaningful as the first time they joined. We want to make sure we can give them what they are looking for at this point in their career,” said Katie Shaikh, our Talent Team Manager.

For George, rejoining FreeAgent was the start of his career as an engineer. “Since my internship lasted three months, I did not return to FreeAgent with years of experience in software engineering. Therefore, I still needed quite a lot of help to settle in from the colleagues in my new team. Luckily, the more experienced engineers were supportive and positive role models who taught me a lot!” said George.

“I would also count myself extremely lucky to work with brilliant people who are leaders in their respective industries. As someone early in my career, I've learnt not just how to do things, but how to do things well.”

For Brad, one of the best aspects of working at FreeAgent is the sense of community. “I really enjoy how approachable everyone from the Engineering team is at FreeAgent. We have dedicated time set aside for collaboration,” he explains.

Valuing a healthy work-life balance

One consistent theme FreeAgent boomerang employees talk about is our dedication to work-life balance. From creating a hybrid workspace to our extensive wellbeing benefits and four-day weeks in the summer, we’re always working to make FreeAgent a great place to work.

“Work-life balance and benefits were definitely part of why I came back,” says Tobias. “FreeAgent cares about the wellbeing of their team and tries to do what’s best for their employees. That definitely isn’t the case everywhere.”

George’s experiences in other companies also gave him a new appreciation for FreeAgent. “As I've grown more experienced, I've learnt to appreciate the freedom and autonomy both individuals and teams are given in their roles. The culture of FreeAgent is extremely healthy. To give one example: work life balance is prioritised with the four-day working week during the summer… I'm always grateful that I ended up at FreeAgent since unfortunately not all workplaces meet the same high standards,” he said.

“FreeAgent’s work life balance is the best it’s ever been. It’s nine-to-five and no expectations beyond that. Benefits like summer cycles are great too,” adds Tobias. “This focus on work-life balance has a positive effect on the company as well - if you’re happy and recovered you do a better job. “

For Sandra, there’s a lot to like about working at FreeAgent, but there are a few things that stand out most: “the people, the remit, the strategy and vision. Oh, and free lunches on a Friday and the beer fridge also create pretty good vibes!”

Could your career path lead to FreeAgent?

If you’re looking for your next opportunity and FreeAgent sounds like the right fit, please keep an eye on our job vacancies or register for future opportunities!