Those companies that allow and encourage their former employees to return will always have a strategic advantage over those that do not, because those boomerang-friendly companies will be focused on ensuring the most positive, high-producing work environments possible, knowing that they are fostering lifelong advocates who will be valuable long after they leave the company. Talented employees, cognizant of ensuring their personal brands are relevant and interesting, will seek to return to former employers when the opportunity and time are right, confident that multiple tours of duty will be viewed as positive by the people who matter to their careers. The beautiful thing about a boomerang is that it can travel long and high and return to where it started. The path it takes can be wide and long, depending on how well it is thrown into the air. The area it covers is large and varied; the footprint a boomerang makes in each throw is valuable.