Keeping in Touch With Former Colleagues

While employed, people are compensated for showing up and spending time in the same space. Once that pattern is discontinued, they need new habits to remain connected. If you are serious about sustaining former work relationships, you must initiate and maintain ongoing efforts to make it happen. When successful, it is a rewarding exercise in preserving relationships.

Old friends are gold

Old office mates can be a valuable commodity. Think of them, the wider network they represent, and the ties that bind them as powerful social capital. 

There are practical and emotional benefits to keeping in touch with former team members. They can enhance your career growth and personal fulfillment. Those you have known in senior roles can often continue as mentors to guide your future career. After all, they are already familiar with your professional skills and aspirations.

Previous work contacts are especially likely to lead to new career opportunities. If you remain in their address book, they are more likely to think of you as suitable openings crop up. Furthermore, you may be able to turn to long-standing and trusted colleagues for support with a referral when you need one.

You should continue to network, building a wide professional base for general insights and as a resource for bouncing ideas around and staying up to date. Your former colleagues, who have been exposed to the same industry background, are natural allies for sharing knowledge or collaboration. You have consistently participated in similar experiences and interactions. 

Lastly, do not underestimate the pure positive enjoyment of spending time with someone with whom you have grown comfortable. 

Keep lines of communication open

Do not get too focused on quid pro quo. In the end, sincerity and genuine interest will win out over repaying favors. You should be better rewarded if you nurture your connections without the overt intention of earning direct benefits. Above all, never make the conversation all about yourself, although you might share a few interesting details from your life.

It takes effort to reconstruct relationships outside work and extra impetus if you intend to rekindle a stalled one. If you once had a good rapport, you can let a few years go by, and former colleagues will still be pleased to hear from you. In those circumstances, it might be necessary to acknowledge you have lost contact without making longwinded excuses. Try to keep the tone authentic without making any assumptions. Or if you're unsure how much they remember you, reference your relationship subtly. 

Keep the conversation light, avoiding any sensitive or controversial topics. If you used to communicate on a formal level, you should still keep it professional. It would be impossible to condense everything that has happened in the intervening period, so don't even try. You should always assume the other person is busy, and remember that if you are pushy, you will likely come across as needy. If you are planning a meet-up, make it as seamless as feasible, and let them offer alternatives.

Ways to reach out

There are many routes for reconnecting: 

• Begin with an email or LinkedIn greeting. They can reply at their convenience. They may have more free time in the evenings and on weekends.
• Check out alumni sections of your old firms' websites. Many have online alumni portals with searchable directories.
• Sometimes, the ritual of work reunions can preserve ties. You might cringe at the thought of occasions like college reunions, where you may have experienced mixed emotions. Were you perhaps glad to see some former classmates and not others? Work reunions can be similar.
• Communicate regularly by email or phone or to mark events like birthdays. Use social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, X or Instagram.
• Be a resource, sharing information such as articles or podcasts on subjects of mutual interest.
• Offer help proactively for feedback, introductions and expertise.
• Keep it personal. Focus on family, vacations and hobbies, and be ready to give support during crises like their career transitions.

Don't give up. If not much happens, try again another time.