The generative mechanism of workplace boomerang behavior: a grounded theory approach

As employee turnover intensifies and the talent shortage grows, boomerang employment-the phenomenon of former employees returning to their previous organizations-has become increasingly common. However, theoretical understanding of how this behavior occurs remains limited.

This study aims to explore the formation mechanisms of workplace boomerang behavior and construct a theoretical model to explain this process.

Employing a grounded theory approach, we collected data from two sources: online secondary materials and semi-structured interviews with former employees who had returned to their previous companies. The data were systematically analyzed through open coding, axial coding, and selective coding to identify core categories and their interrelationships.

Anchoring factors (rational, emotional, matching, normative) and driving factors (career, contextual, cognitive) shape boomerang intention (cognitive commitment and behavioral enactment), ultimately leading to boomerang behavior. Organizational opportunities (talent gaps, value assessments, industry ecology) are critical for enabling boomerang behavior.

Our work makes the following theoretical advancements. First, by systematically examining how boomerang behavior emerges, this study shifts the analytical focus from "outcome analysis" to "process genesis." Second, by investigating the critical role of the former organization in the formation of boomerang behavior, this study builds a "bilateral interaction" decision model. Third, by framing boomerang behavior as a distinct form of situated job choice, this study addresses the explanatory shortcomings of traditional job-choice theories in this context.