Meaning
What does Welcome Back mean?
Welcome back refers to a popular caption, seen on workplace-related memes, sent by enthusiastic coworkers, or bosses, as a minor motivating gesture, in a similar fashion to Demotivational Posters.
A similar, more expressive iteration of the same line is the Welcome to the rice fields meme, which reminds us more vividly that we have to go Back to Work.
Origin
What's the origin of Welcome Back?
While the exact origin of the “Welcome back” memes can’t be exactly pinned down, they started appearing in the early 2010’s, especially in 2012, when the popularity of Advice Animal type memes rose among the wider public online.
Spread & Usage
How did Welcome Back spread?
“Welcome back” image macros of all kinds have emerged online since 2012, with all sorts of characters, known from memes, including the Crying Cat, Willy Wonka, Oprah as well as the iconic Minions from Despicable Me, known to be the favorites of Karen and the Male Version of Karen.