When news broke that Andie Sachs was returning to Runway after a 20-year break in The Devil Wears Prada 2, it struck a chord with plenty of professionals.
Most people assume leaving a company is a closed chapter, but increasingly, employees are finding themselves drawn back to former workplaces for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s by choice, sometimes by opportunity and occasionally because the company they once left isn’t the same company anymore.
The idea of returning to an old employer used to carry a stigma because if you left, you moved on, end of story. But today’s job market is far more fluid and ‘boomerang employees’ are becoming increasingly common across marketing, design, digital and corporate industries. The real question is: should you do it?
In some cases, going back can be a smart move as you already understand the culture, systems and personalities involved, which often means less onboarding time and a faster path to impact. There’s also comfort in familiarity and returning employees can walk back in with established credibility and relationships, something that can take years to build elsewhere.
Sometimes, the timing is simply better the second time around. Perhaps you originally left because there was no career progression, the leadership was difficult, or the business lacked flexibility. Fast forward a few years and management may have changed, the company may have evolved, or the role itself may now offer the opportunities you wanted in the first place.
Equally, you may have changed too, as people often leave organisations early in their careers searching for experience, salary growth or a different environment. Returning later with broader skills, greater confidence and external perspective can put you in a much stronger position than before.
But returning isn’t always a fairytale reunion.
One of the biggest risks is assuming the business has changed when it actually hasn’t. Companies can promise transformation, but if the same leadership, behaviours or structural issues remain, old frustrations can quickly resurface. There’s also the challenge of perception and in some workplaces, returning employees are welcomed enthusiastically while in others, they can struggle to shake off their ‘old version’ identity, particularly if former colleagues still see them through the lens of who they were years ago.
Before going back, it’s worth asking yourself a few honest questions:
Why did I leave originally?
Has that issue genuinely changed?
Am I returning because it’s right for my career, or because it feels safe?
Does this role move me forward or simply backwards comfortably?
Sometimes going back is exactly the right move and sometimes it’s a reminder of why you left. The key is making sure you’re returning to a genuine new opportunity as opposed to revisiting an old habit.