Still in contact one year later?

[busymama77]

The girl that used to be in my position who is also the daughter of a friend of my boss's still gets together for lunch every so often even a year after she's been gone from this company.

Does anyone find that odd besides me? I just feel uncomfortable around her and this whole group when she stops by. She's 10 years younger than me, a bit flaky, a bean pole in size, but they guys just LOVE her. Maybe they see something I don't. It's awkward.

[isabella.4567]

Where I used to work it was quite common that people who had retired or moved on stopped by once or twice a year to visit and chat.

I live halfway around the world now but if I happened to be in town I would still visit them and it has been 8 years since I worked there.

[JL83]

It's not my style, but I don't think it's strange or anything. Some people seem to keep those kinds of relationships going.

[meemee]

why does it feel uncomfortable?

because she is still friends with your coworkers?

i still return to my old place of work at least once a year to do the same myself. however i am not a young something. but i was much loved and respected there and so far i was the one who got the best baby shower ever in that company. its been 7 years since i worked there and when i left i had worked there for 8 years myself. a lot of the old staff is still there.

in fact some fo them are my facebook friends too now.

[Qestia]

I think it's called networking. I still get together for drinks twice a year with the whole group of people I worked with ten years ago, even though all but one of us now work someplace else. I still email my boss from three years ago almost every week, mostly about work stuff. And I'm having drinks tonight with someone from a job I left two years ago. If I were in the neighborhood I, and they, would think nothing of me swinging by the office to say hi.

[GoestoShow]

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Edited by GoestoShow - 12/17/10 at 8:59am

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by GoestoShow

Is it possible she's friends with some of the people outside of work and the fact that she worked there is incidental to that? Friends get together for lunch all the time....

...and I don't think it's particularly weird and depending on the industry, it could be incredibly common. Some industries are really close knit or small and all the competitors and allies and whoever else are highly aware and involved with each other. I know that in my job, people who worked here years ago still come by because they still work in that area of research or for another university in the area and it's important for them to keep up relationships with people from old places of employment.

Yeah, a guy that works here is dating her sister. I don't know. I'm just not in to all of the high pitched valley talk that she does and it's quite annoying. I mean, it got LOUD in here yesterday and I sit at a desk where I have to answer phones and I could barely hear the other person.
I'm still friends with 4 of my ex-coworkers and only one ex-boss. That's it. 2 of them I have lunch with on occassion, but I never hang out with my ex-boss. It's just odd to me. But to each their own.

[GuildJenn]

I think it's great and something we should all do (although I'm not always very good at it) - that's how you maintain a professional network and hear about the plum positions before the general public, have mentors to bounce ideas off of, etc.

[c'est moi]

one of my old bosses is one of my closest friends now. when she was my boss, she was just my boss. but now she's a running partner, the friend i went to, a friend i do yoga with, walk our dogs with. she's just my FRIEND. i don't find it all that weird to be honest.

[Herausgeber]

She's doing what all professionally successful people do: networking.

As a manager, I find it odder that you have so FEW contacts among former employers. That would give me pause if you were applying to work for me. I would wonder why you burned those bridges.

I spent 8 years at my last job, and I left a year ago. I stay in touch with people throughout the company -- and when they have gone on to other jobs themselves. If I avoided them, I would have lots out on some great hiring referals for my team, as well as some rather sweet business deals.

It's like being an alum of a college, in come ways, and some of the best companies really play that angle up and encourage those networks. McKinsey and IBM are really good at it.

[siobhang]

Agree with Hersaugeber. Btw, 90% of our work comes from referals and most of those come from former coworkers. People move on and do interesting things and need help and YOU are a known quantity.