What to do if you got laid off, and now the company wants you back

It has recently become more common for workers to “boomerang” back to their old employers. Given the breadth of organizations laying off workers, Twitter may not be the last company to ask fired workers to return. And in this difficult economic climate,

Set new goals

Try to focus on the key things you would do in the first 90 days of a new job. Pay attention to your team, your surroundings, and people you are

working with. Listen and learn from others, and understand what success will look like in this role

for you. Consider starting new routines to help shift your mindset, including trying different patterns for coffee and lunch breaks or reaching out to coworkers you never spent much time with before. Try sitting in a different place in the office or changing up your home office set-up to help reset and reframe joining your former employer.

Don’t hold onto grudges

According to a recent study, those who hold onto grudges are more likely to have prolonged negative moods and to experience depression and anxiety. As you join your former employer, don’t hold onto grudges. Holding onto grudges can be the biggest impediment to your happiness and to your future success because it makes it harder to move forward and accomplish new goals. While it may be difficult, I highly recommend trying to forgive those who you may hold a grudge against. I have done this in my own career by writing letters to individuals who caused me pain and not sending them. It’s a way for

me to process, forgive and move forward with my life.

Lean on existing relationships

One of the big advantages of rejoining your former employer is that you likely will know some of your colleagues already. These existing relationships can help you drive impact in your new role. When trying to drive impact at work, we often can forget to ask ourselves: Who can help me accomplish this task or help drive this initiative forward? When you know some of the key players already, this will help you gain some immediate momentum at work. It can be awkward returning and it can be easy to feel insecure, but remember that colleagues who enjoy working with you will be happy to see you.