Leave the Door Open – Staying Connected to Former Employees

Employers are faced with challenges as they are forced to lay off or furlough employees due to the economic shutdown resulting from COVID-19. While many employees in certain sectors are losing their jobs, there is a rise in the hiring landscape for pharmacies, online retailers, and shipping companies looking to supplement staffing to meet the recent surge of demand. The drastic economic shift with mass layoffs across the hospitality industry brought restaurants, hotels, airlines, and other service-based jobs to a halt. The pandemic, however, has forced people to stay indoors, creating an increase in demand for delivery and online-based services.

This shift in the labor market could provide some relief for those in need of immediate work; however, many employers may face a hiring challenge when the broader economy restarts.

COVID-19 is a health crisis resulting in a global economic slowdown. If we look at economic trends in the last decade, forced economic downturns in the short-term have a negative impact on GDP but a more positive impact over time. Gradually, employers will rehire. They may not in the short-term, but they will eventually as we move beyond this natural disaster (Forbes, Economic Forecast, Coronavirus Impacts, March 2020).

With unemployment rates increasing, what will rehiring look like?

Although many companies might be forced to temporarily let go of great employees due purely to economics, once financial stability returns, these valued employees will want to return to work. So, why not engage and stay connected with furloughed or recently let go of employees? Maintain the existing relationship, stay engaged, and keep them trained (online or remote) to ensure a smooth return to work. At the same time, invest in your employer brand and build relationships now to maintain the talent pipeline.

How can employers stay connected with furloughed employees?

COVID-19 has forced us to rethink the way we interact, and remote connectivity is essential now more than ever before. Consider a people engagement network app like Bluepulse that can easily be deployed to keep you connected to your alumni. Keeping a pulse on your external talent network is an investment that every employer should consider making. Staying connected and transitioning employees in the right way can lead to former employees being brand ambassadors, potential clients, future business partners, and top-notch rehires.

As you contemplate your alumni engagement strategy, consider the following touchpoints to stay connected with them in a meaningful way that benefits you both:

• Provide remote training opportunities to alumni to keep skills sharp and ready
• Invite them to webinars, alumni events or share thought leadership materials
• Track open positions and send updates on job openings; alumni are also great referrals

Bluepulse is a two-way communication tool that allows you to check-in, get feedback, and share information with your former employees in a flexible and easy to use way. The best part is that employees can respond or share confidential feedback quickly and easily with you, which might make all the difference to them. In this time of increased unemployment, staying connected to separated employees, whether they return to you or not, will pay greater benefits beyond the crisis. What employees will remember most about this unprecedented period is how they were treated by their employer, even in transition. While the COVID-19 global economic impact was unforeseen, this is your opportunity to respond, stay connected, and offer support.

Let Explorance help you stay connected and engaged with former employees, so when you are back in business, they’ll want to come back to you.

With Bluepulse, you can keep the communication channel open between you and your former employees, as well as give internal stakeholders the analytics they need at their fingertips to make life in the digital space better for all.

Let’s connect and keep the door open with Bluepulse. Contact us.