I recently heard a colleague say this on their way to a new engagement, "I'm leaving on good terms and I'm eligible for re-hire". As kindly as I knew how I suggested that being eligible to return doesn't a) guarantee that you'll be welcomed back because, and this is just a maybe, b) people might not be excited about what you consider to be 'good terms'.
A mentor of mine would phrase it this way, "what is, just is" meaning there isn't a lot you can do once you've driven the stake. People (which is what your past, current and future employers/co-workers are) have opinions and you may not know how all/any of them may affect you until you try to return, and even then you may not know! What if you didn't actually do anything wrong during your tenure that would make you ineligible for re-hire, but because of 'who' you are, these same people weren't necessarily sad to see you go? What if they were initially sad but then afterward found that feeling replaced with anxiety or annoyance over a less than seamless transition? Did you leave a mess in your haste to exit, did you exercise PTO to offset the notice you gave them, will those left behind be able to pick up where you left off? These are questions you should try to get in front of!
Here are some basic suggestions that may help:
1) Give ample notice even if you assume you'll be 'walked out'
2) Create a transition plan for offloading your current workload including status updates
3) Draft a formal resignation letter expressing your appreciation for the people you worked with and the opportunities you were given
4) Don't look like you're dying to get out of there
Nope, none of these 4 things will guarantee a smooth road back but you'll at least know, and so will they, that you did what you could to remove some of the inconvenience associated with your leaving...vinny
