Given the constant changes in our society, many companies are submerged in a high rate of staff turnover. This turnover can be caused by the company's situation (the pandemic, crisis, inflation, etc.), where it cannot take charge of the entire staff and has to reduce it; as for the new generations' culture, with their need for change and living different experiences.
The liquidity in professional relationships results in many companies losing talented workers. Therefore, even if employer branding is crucial while the worker is in the company, it continues to be once they have left. You may wonder why, and the reason is that by maintaining a good relationship with workers even after they leave the company, they are more likely to return or recommend the company to other qualified professionals.
In this way, many large companies are starting an alumni corporate network where they maintain contact with former workers. The alumni corporate network wants to create a community of former employees, a space for people with similar interests.
This management is part of the company's human resources, as they are responsible for attracting, retaining, and developing the company's talent. In addition, having good maintenance of the corporate alumni network can be a tool for this department because, as explained later, it is an excellent source of talent.
What are the benefits of the corporate alumni network?
When a company builds a good relationship with its workers, the relationship will not end even if they leave the job. Building a corporate alumni network can nurture these relationships and not lose the talent that has grown within your business. The use of emails, newsletters, social networks, and even punctual events can be the definitive tools to keep and grow the sense of community between ex-workers. By maintaining contact, the company can ask for feedback and opinions, count on them when necessary and share new vacancies for which they may apply.
Following the previous point, the corporate alumni network can be a source of recruitment for former employees and their acquaintances. If the people who are part of the alumni network find out about vacancies, it is easier for them to share it and recommend the company to their environment if they keep good memories from their time there.
When there is a maintained corporate alumni network, the former employees can act as ambassadors for the company. Moreover, their success can also be celebrated publicly to take credit for their development inside the organization. As a result, the company's reach increases, and it is more attractive to other professionals. The objective is to show how former workers are proud of having worked in the organization as a result of the positive period they had there.
What can be better than listening to your (former) workers to know what to improve in the company? Although in the employer branding article, we already highlighted the importance of listening to employees, with the alumni corporate network you can find out about the experiences, opinions, and performance improvements. Sometimes, you can also choose to contact the alumni corporate network for collaborations on specific projects, ask former employees to talk or participate in events on topics that they are experts in, and thus have an external professional to bring new experiences and knowledge, among others.
Now that you know all the benefits of the alumni corporate network, what better than to start applying it to the reality of your company?
We cannot always control the factors of personnel turnover, so it is important not to lose the talent that develops in your company. In addition, these people will be some of the best brand ambassadors, as people connect and believe other people's discourse more than brands.
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