Hey there, are you an HR manager or business owner looking for new ways to support your former employees? You’ve invested so much time and resources into recruiting and developing top talent, it’s a shame to lose them when they move on to new opportunities. What if there was a way to stay connected and continue providing value even after they’ve left your company? A private community platform is a great solution. By giving ex-employees a place to network, share knowledge, and access useful resources, you can strengthen your alumni network and brand. Ex-employees will appreciate your ongoing support of their career growth. And who knows, they may even come back to work for you again someday. In this article, we’ll explore how to launch an engaging alumni community that benefits both your organization and your former employees.
The Benefits of Supporting Ex-Employees
Supporting former employees even after they’ve moved on benefits both your company and your ex-colleagues.
Building goodwill
When you continue to invest in ex-employees’ growth and development, it builds goodwill and loyalty. They’ll remember your support and speak highly of your organization. This good PR and word-of-mouth marketing can help with recruiting new talent.
Tapping into their networks
Ex-employees can open up their networks to you, connecting you with potential new hires, partners, or clients. They may refer people from their new companies or share job openings with former colleagues.
Sharing knowledge
Ex-employees can share knowledge and skills with current employees through mentorship programs, guest speaking engagements, or online courses. Their outside perspectives and experiences are valuable learning opportunities.
Collaborating on new projects
There may be opportunities for ex-employees to collaborate with your organization as freelancers, consultants, or project partners. Their deep understanding of your business and familiarity with internal processes enable them to hit the ground running.
Lifelong learning
By giving ex-employees access to continued learning resources like online training courses, conference passes, or professional development stipends, you support their ongoing growth and skills development. This lifelong learning mindset creates a virtuous circle, as they may eventually share their new knowledge and skills with your organization again.
Keeping the doors open to former colleagues in creative, mutually-beneficial ways leads to a vibrant, inter-connected community where people and ideas flow freely across company lines. What goes around comes around.
Creating an Ex-Employee Portal for Ongoing Learning
Creating an online portal where ex-employees can continue to access learning and development resources is a great way to provide ongoing support.
Design the Portal for Their Needs
Think about what would be most useful for ex-staff at different career stages. For those who recently departed, focus on topics like resume writing, interview prep, and job searching. For long-gone employees, offer more general skills training.
- Include tutorials on useful software, collaboration tools, and other workplace technologies.
- Provide access to online courses in areas like communication, critical thinking, and project management.
- Host webinars with career coaches and subject matter experts. Record them so ex-employees can watch on their own schedule.
Promote a Community of Lifelong Learners
An ex-employee portal creates opportunities for connection and mentorship.
- Start an alumni social network or online group to facilitate discussion and relationship building.
- Share job listings, events, and other resources that might be of interest.
- Encourage experienced ex-staff to act as mentors by starting discussion threads or offering to review resumes.
- Highlight ex-employees’ career and personal achievements to inspire others.
Creating a space for continuous learning and growth shows ex-staff you value them beyond their tenure. An ex-employee portal is a small investment that pays off through goodwill and building a lifelong community. Ex-employees will appreciate your support, and you’ll gain brand ambassadors who promote your company culture.
Building an Ex-Employee Community Platform
Building a community platform to support your ex-employees is a great way to foster goodwill and help them continue learning and developing their skills.
Connecting Ex-Employees
Create a private online community, like a Facebook group or Slack channel, where ex-employees can connect and communicate with each other. They’ve shared experiences at your company, so they can bond over that and help each other with questions about their new roles or companies. This also gives them a space to stay in touch with former coworkers and mentors.
Sharing Job Openings and Opportunities
Ex-employees will appreciate you posting relevant job openings, networking events, conferences, and education opportunities that could benefit them in your community platform. Even though they’ve moved on from your company, they still value career growth and development. Circulate information on jobs at other companies in your industry or city as well as ways for them to strengthen their skills.
Continuing Education and Mentorship
Create resources for your ex-employees to continue learning and developing professionally. You could provide tutorials, how-to guides, and video courses on relevant skills and programs. Allow ex-employees to connect with current employees to get advice and mentorship. Some may be open to occasionally guest speaking on industry topics or hosting Q&A sessions.
Recognizing Achievements
Spotlight ex-employees’ achievements, accomplishments, awards, promotions, or new roles on your platform. This shows you still support them and value their success, even after leaving your company. Ask them to share updates on their career journeys and recent milestones so you can help spread the word. Ex-employees will surely appreciate you cheering them on!
Maintaining a community for ex-employees is a simple way to build goodwill, support their growth, and stay connected. While they’ve moved on to new opportunities, they still feel valued and part of your company’s network. And who knows, they may even become clients, partners, or boomerang employees in the future!
Providing Mentorship Opportunities for Ex-Staff
Once employees leave your company, providing them opportunities to stay connected and continue learning can be hugely valuable. Mentorship is one way to do this that benefits both your organization and your former staff.
Providing Mentorship Opportunities for Ex-Staff
As an ex-employee, having a mentor within your old company gives you an inside link to help further your career. Your mentor can provide guidance, share industry insights, and connect you with new opportunities. For your company, mentoring ex-staff is a chance to maintain goodwill, get fresh outside perspectives, and even recruit top talent back in the future.
Set up a formal mentoring program that pairs volunteer mentors from within your company with interested former employees. Define clear expectations upfront for the mentoring relationship. For example, set a minimum duration, frequency of meetings, and guidelines around confidentiality or non-compete clauses. Provide training for mentors on best practices for supporting ex-staff in their career growth.
Market the program to recently departed employees through email campaigns, social media, and your alumni network. Highlight the benefits of staying connected to their professional community. Make it easy to sign up by explaining the time commitment and mentor matching process.
Once matches are made, encourage mentors and mentees to meet regularly, either in person or remotely. Have them set short and long term goals to work towards, like improving technical skills, transitioning to a new field, or making a career change. Mentors should provide accountability, advice, and networking help to achieve these goals.
A mentorship program for ex-staff is a win-win for employees and companies alike. For your organization, it’s a chance to build goodwill, gain new insights, and stay tapped into a valuable talent network. For former employees, it provides an opportunity to continue progressing in their careers with the support of a company they already know and trust. Maintaining these mutually beneficial relationships is key to success.
Giving Ex-Employees Access to Online Learning Resources
Even after employees leave your company, you can continue to support their learning and development. One way is by giving them ongoing access to your online learning resources and communities.
Provide Access to Your Learning Management System
If you have an LMS where employees take courses and track their learning progress, consider granting ex-employees limited access for 6-12 months after they leave. This allows them to finish any courses they’re enrolled in and download resources or certificates they’ve earned. You could also give them “read-only” access so they can still access resources for reference.
Keep Them in the Loop with Your Internal Knowledge Base
Do you have an internal wiki, knowledge base or blog with how-to guides, policies, and other useful information? Provide ex-employees with guest access so they can stay up-to-date and tap into resources they may have contributed to during their employment. Let them know this access will end after a set time period, e.g. 3-6 months.
Invite Them to Your Online Employee Community
If you have a Slack channel, Facebook group or other online community for employees, consider allowing ex-staff to remain members with limited access. For example, they can view posts and join discussions but not share confidential information. Let current employees know that ex-colleagues may still be part of the community so they are mindful of what they post. Ex-employees will appreciate still feeling part of the team and social interactions. You can remove them from the community after 6-12 months.
Providing temporary access to your learning and knowledge resources is a simple way to support ex-employees’ development even after they move on. They will be grateful for your ongoing investment in them, and you’ll build goodwill by helping them achieve their goals beyond your company doors. It’s a win-win for fostering an engaged alumni base.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Creating a community platform for ex-employees is a win-win for everyone involved. Your former team members will appreciate your ongoing support of their growth and development. They’ll feel good knowing you still care about them, even after they’ve moved on. And for you, maintaining those connections builds goodwill and loyalty. Who knows, they may even return as boomerang employees down the road, bringing new skills and experience with them. Or they may recommend your company to others as a great place to work.
Supporting ex-employees is simply the right thing to do. It’s a small gesture that can make a big difference in people’s lives. And in today’s world where job security is scarce, a little kindness and compassion go a long way. So start building that community platform and stay in touch with your alumni. You’ll be glad you did.
April 17, 2024
