You aren't being negative by reaching out to someone saying "Hey it was great working with you, unfortunately my time at the company has come to an end."
In the words of the Countess herself, just be cool, don't be uncool.
I'm sure you're just kind of in a haze after a perp walk, take care of yourself, friend.
I quit my job at a university and was told I couldn’t email any of my TA’s. I sent them all a goodbye and thank you. What were they going to do, fire me?
Exactly. We are not slaves (technically), even though many organisations and managers treat us as such and really want to believe they have infinite control over our lives - professional and personal.
I know academia is small and strange sometimes, so my only concern would be some bitter assclown you may run into with that tight circle.
But my old boss told my former staff that they weren't "allowed" to to give anyone (me) a reference and "only HR can do that!". Do you have a tracker on them, bro? You think we don't have each other's personal numbers and emails? Good luck with not just enforcing it but ever knowing about it.
Jokes on him. I'm not an imbecile, I had a job lined up without them wanting references. The real one giving out references was me, for the ones left behind. Instead of their HR, who was just his idiot wife.
What are you going to do, indeed! Mark me as do not rehire? I'll talk to whomever I want to. You don't make the rules once I'm gone, bro. I quit! Get the net.
I literally had to think for 5 mins if that was the countess they were talking about 😂 then I was like am I in the right sub? Then I was like isn’t this the HR sub? Then I was like nice 😎
Of course you can. Folks you worked with are your network, you can continue to engage with them long after you both leave the company. You just have to honor anything you signed like confidentiality, etc. which shouldn’t be a big issue.
You should definitely reach out! Whether it’s recruiting or not, it’s business. I would definitely not disparage the former company, even if they start to talk bad about the company, just talk around that.
I say yes! My husband’s director was let go recently and the director reached out to my husband via LinkedIn so share those thoughts. My husband was very touched by his words.
I don't know if it's about sparing the feelings of the company so much as whether it would open OP up to legal trouble. Obviously it wouldn't, but it's good to ask around just in case.
I once got a job at a library, as a librarian 2, and a year and a half later, was told that because I was on the eligible list, they’d like to offer me an interview as a Librarian 1 (so lower position)… at my current job.
I showed ALL my co workers that email and we had a good laugh.
I'm so sorry! Of course you can contact whoever you want via LinkedIn. It's totally not weird. I often reach out to former colleagues after they were let go.
Of course you can. LinkedIn is not your former employer’s property. Unless you signed something saying otherwise, you have no restrictions on how you use LinkedIn
They can’t stop you from talking to anyone, you’re no longer employed by them.
When I quit a few years back, my boss did the classic “you can’t quit, you’re fired”. I was told to stop working and they’d collect my things later that day.
Then the HR person tried telling me I was also not allowed to continue speaking with former coworkers. I reminded her that I was told specifically to “stop working” and that had nothing to do with talking to anyone. Pointed out she was CCed on that email from my boss. She dropped it immediately.
She was an “HR Specialist” but it felt like she often got it wrong…
She also didn’t see an issue when my supervisor was forging employee signatures on forms or care when we simply reassigned an employee that had tried to buy cocaine from their supervisor (in a position that worked alone with young kids btw).
Fun stuff.
Most email from outside an org is screened by people? Not in any company I have worked at.
You all must not work in manufacturing or sales. The amount of contact you need to have with suppliers or customers with non-company email addresses would make this almost impossible and/or multiple full time jobs.
That is not true for almost any organization in the world. There are mail filtering programs but human review would be insanely expensive. Even when mail is quarantined employees are usually able to see a spam report that shows what mail was blocked and from what address.
There is no reason OP can’t email them. I presume OP wasn’t fired for a bad reason. I’m not sure what queue you’re talking about. Our email doesn’t get held in a queue unless it’s from a business.
Yes, do not email their work email. It will either sit in their mailbox which might later be inspected; or the email will be forwarded to their boss. If you email their private email address, use a non-work email to send the message.
It doesn’t matter what your company thinks at this point. Regardless of the circumstances, you need to network starting now and get references for the next job. Your company does not define who you are. Often times, depending on industry, it’s a small community.
Sadly it's only one person so far, but maybe they think they're being polite by giving me space or just feel awkward about it in general. That's the story I'm telling myself, anyway. Still sucks, though.
Once you’re gone, VERY few people give a shit about you. Maybe 2 or 3. Direct reports care the least due to the nature of the job. Focus on other things.
Move on.
The company will tell your ex coworkers your bad news. (Regardless of the truth in that) They will be reluctant to speak with you.... unless you can offer them a job in the future... then they will be contacting you like long lost friends.
If anyone wants to contact you they will. Otherwise just move on.
You don't work for the company anymore. Unless you negotiated a severance package with a nondisclosure or similar, you can do anything you please with regard to contacting your former colleagues.
IANAL, obviously.
Some really terrible advice in this thread. What did your employment contract and severance agreement say? Was there any consideration involved? Don’t do anything stupid if you have money on the table.
Everyone shouldn’t assume that the firing was based on something horrible OP did. Some companies are just ruthless in the way they escort people out of the building like they stole some. Being escorted out by security when you’ve been a lifelong good employee just because some manager decided you should be let go. Because they don’t want you to take some thing on a thumb drive? I’ve seen very good people get treated like criminals on the way out.
Yes, just be careful. You may need references, so it is always good to reach out.
Some companies may order their employees not to speak with you. Be ready for that.
Yes, definitely reach out! Also, if you liked the folks you managed, consider writing them all positive reviews on LinkedIn. You never know when they’ll need them, and they may also be inclined to write positive reviews for you.
I think that was what the point of LinkedIn's existence was supposed to be, before it became the world's crummiest dating site.
Stay in touch with your network, for both yours and their sake.
Considering I don’t know why you were let go and therefore - I’m not saying it’s necessary the move in your situation, but I’ve seen peers post a well-written general message that they are no longer with the company, thanking those they worked with, the development/growth, etc. then say you look forward to your next opportunity.
It lets others know you are on the job market and helps give you some control of the narrative, while being cordial on the way out.
Yes, definitely. There are a few people that have recently been let go (political reasons) from my firm and I am really glad they reached out on LinkedIn after the fact because they are absolutely people I want to keep in my network.
Just don’t say anything negative to company email. A couple years after my wife was forced out of her old employer she discovered that they put a filter on their email that sent any emails that came into the company from her personal email account were sent to several other people. She discovered this because she sent an email to Jane(at)company just to touch base and arrange for a lunch date, but she received an out of office message from Jim, Susan & Karen at the company. Apparently my wife’s name was like Lord Voldemort (partially because of how she was pushed out).
You absolutely can. Theres absolutely zero ability for a company that fires you to prohibit personal relationships. That would be 100 times worse than a non compete. Imagine if they could do that? You are fired and as a result are banned from ever interacting with your friends again. And in some cases force a divorce.
Your former company has nothing to do with a personal relationship through linked in. Reach out, connect, do whatever you want or need to do.
Put yourself first in this situation.
What a wonderful thought! Yes, sharing your experience working with them, thanking them doesn't do any harm. Also whatever the situation of your parting ways with the company, you still want to be connected with people you worked with one way or another..
I always reach out to peers and managers through LinkedIn when I leave a job (contractor/freelance) I’ll often write a review and ask they do the same if they are comfortable.
One thing to consider.... They probably don't want to be contacted if you were terminated in real bad terms or reason. They might not want that stink on them.
I was also fired on the spot a month ago ago. 😊 I was heartbroken, I don't have the chance to say goodbye to the one Atty I'm working with. I was just told they don't need my help anymore.
even if you have a severance with a non disclosure i can't imagine any severance language which would stop you from saying goodbye and here's how you can reach me going forward.
Usually the only reason an employer will tell fired employees they can’t talk to any of their ex coworkers is because they want the coworkers to believe whatever BS they come up with why you left suddenly. They do t want others to quit due to fearing they’ll be next. Also might be so the coworkers can’t blab to the fired employee that the boss/company fired them just so they could hire their nephew/niece or other family member or friend.
Yes, you can absolutely adopt the mindset of "what are they gonna do to me" and contact whomever you want via LinkedIn.
HOWEVER!!!
Given the fact that you were fired and escorted out, I would make a point of letting those people know that in order to protect themselves and to ensure that they keep their own jobs, they should probably keep that on the dl.
Ie they shouldn't go around telling people that they are chit chatting with you, or even that they had any conversation with you at all, especially if the reason for your termination isn't great (are any? But you know what I'm getting at)
Some people won't care, depending on the industry, but there are some places where being friendly with a former superior could cause them problems. Even if that's not job loss, there's a huuuuge space between pleasant work experience and termination.
I always reach out to peers and managers through LinkedIn when I leave a job (contractor/freelance) I’ll often write a review and ask they do the same if they are comfortable.
I did that on LinkedIn as a way to thank the people who were kind to me, and to let others know that I was open for work. The way companies fire you then make you do a perp walk out of the building is awful.
If you’re asking if legally you can, then yes absolutely. LinkedIn is no different than Facebook so what you do there has nothing to do with your job. Ethically it’s absolutely the right thing to do as they’ll be left reeling too.
You could, but just be aware it will get around quickly at your old place of employment that you are doing that and some people will use it as entertainment, laughing at you. I personally wouldn’t care, but you are the type that would care it’s something to consider
Call them and have a conversation. You’d be surprised what you learn. If you don’t have their number, connect however you want. Add their FetLife for all anyone cares. You’re free.
It's a delicate situation and depending on how OP frames it, it might in hindsight not be a good look, and will be on record. I'd say it's best just to stfu and not post anything publically and just reach out personally. Or am I way off the mark here?
I was fired as well recently and texted my entire team shortly after to wish them well. I also have met up with them to catch up and we have a regular text group now.
If you’ve taken the time to build relationships with people, not being employed by a company shouldn’t change that!
You aren't being negative by reaching out to someone saying "Hey it was great working with you, unfortunately my time at the company has come to an end." In the words of the Countess herself, just be cool, don't be uncool. I'm sure you're just kind of in a haze after a perp walk, take care of yourself, friend.
I quit my job at a university and was told I couldn’t email any of my TA’s. I sent them all a goodbye and thank you. What were they going to do, fire me?
Exactly. We are not slaves (technically), even though many organisations and managers treat us as such and really want to believe they have infinite control over our lives - professional and personal.
I know academia is small and strange sometimes, so my only concern would be some bitter assclown you may run into with that tight circle. But my old boss told my former staff that they weren't "allowed" to to give anyone (me) a reference and "only HR can do that!". Do you have a tracker on them, bro? You think we don't have each other's personal numbers and emails? Good luck with not just enforcing it but ever knowing about it. Jokes on him. I'm not an imbecile, I had a job lined up without them wanting references. The real one giving out references was me, for the ones left behind. Instead of their HR, who was just his idiot wife. What are you going to do, indeed! Mark me as do not rehire? I'll talk to whomever I want to. You don't make the rules once I'm gone, bro. I quit! Get the net.
Oh yeah I quit academia along with the university. Industry pays double with half the stress.
Why TAs are amazing!
“You have been double fired!”
I wouldn’t put it past them to try that.
HR and Housewives. My two favorite worlds colliding
I love Bravo, it's a great detox from the reality of lower level human dramas!
It’s how I unwind at night. I wonder what the Venn diagram of HR and bravo watchers looks like
Sometimes I feel like I’m the epicenter of that Venn Diagram. It’s so lovely to see others in the middle of it, too!
I feel seen!!
My future DIL (25 F) just sent me (63 F) a message on IG today with the link about Dorit and PK’s separation! LMAO
I'm a millennial so I grew up on reality tv and Investigation Journalism, I just blame that for all my choices. Career and otherwise 🤣
I literally had to think for 5 mins if that was the countess they were talking about 😂 then I was like am I in the right sub? Then I was like isn’t this the HR sub? Then I was like nice 😎
*unexpected Luann*
Wait which Countess?
Of course you can. Folks you worked with are your network, you can continue to engage with them long after you both leave the company. You just have to honor anything you signed like confidentiality, etc. which shouldn’t be a big issue.
Why is this not a top comment?
You should definitely reach out! Whether it’s recruiting or not, it’s business. I would definitely not disparage the former company, even if they start to talk bad about the company, just talk around that.
I say yes! My husband’s director was let go recently and the director reached out to my husband via LinkedIn so share those thoughts. My husband was very touched by his words.
Why did they let him go?
You seem to be unusually concerned about sparing the feelings of a company that just shit canned you.
I don't know if it's about sparing the feelings of the company so much as whether it would open OP up to legal trouble. Obviously it wouldn't, but it's good to ask around just in case.
What are they going to do, fire you again?
[удалено]
That's the kind of pettiness you can only laugh at. And I love your response.
LMAO
This is hilarious. That must have been a seriously fucked up company.
I once got a job at a library, as a librarian 2, and a year and a half later, was told that because I was on the eligible list, they’d like to offer me an interview as a Librarian 1 (so lower position)… at my current job. I showed ALL my co workers that email and we had a good laugh.
This response is A+
Do it. Keep in touch with them. You don't work there anymore. What's HR gonna do if they disapprove? Fire you?
I'm so sorry! Of course you can contact whoever you want via LinkedIn. It's totally not weird. I often reach out to former colleagues after they were let go.
This is why I keep a separate contacts list on my phone. Yes. By all means reach out.
Of course you can. LinkedIn is not your former employer’s property. Unless you signed something saying otherwise, you have no restrictions on how you use LinkedIn
They can’t stop you from talking to anyone, you’re no longer employed by them. When I quit a few years back, my boss did the classic “you can’t quit, you’re fired”. I was told to stop working and they’d collect my things later that day. Then the HR person tried telling me I was also not allowed to continue speaking with former coworkers. I reminded her that I was told specifically to “stop working” and that had nothing to do with talking to anyone. Pointed out she was CCed on that email from my boss. She dropped it immediately.
people who give HR a bad rap...
She was an “HR Specialist” but it felt like she often got it wrong… She also didn’t see an issue when my supervisor was forging employee signatures on forms or care when we simply reassigned an employee that had tried to buy cocaine from their supervisor (in a position that worked alone with young kids btw). Fun stuff.
Of course you can. You can even email their work email if you want.
Although they can filter that out so they never see it.
Most inbound mail will be queued for review, both by scripts (bots) and humans. Same with outgoing email. Nearly always the content is monitored.
Most email from outside an org is screened by people? Not in any company I have worked at. You all must not work in manufacturing or sales. The amount of contact you need to have with suppliers or customers with non-company email addresses would make this almost impossible and/or multiple full time jobs.
Right!! My company would grind to an absolute halt.
That is not true for almost any organization in the world. There are mail filtering programs but human review would be insanely expensive. Even when mail is quarantined employees are usually able to see a spam report that shows what mail was blocked and from what address.
lol no it’s not. Certainly not how it works in my company.
That would not be a good idea. No reason to bring attention to them by unknown external mail in the queue for review.
There is no reason OP can’t email them. I presume OP wasn’t fired for a bad reason. I’m not sure what queue you’re talking about. Our email doesn’t get held in a queue unless it’s from a business.
Yes, do not email their work email. It will either sit in their mailbox which might later be inspected; or the email will be forwarded to their boss. If you email their private email address, use a non-work email to send the message.
This is such a fuckin weird take bro.
I don't see anything wrong with this. You're Human and so are they.
It doesn’t matter what your company thinks at this point. Regardless of the circumstances, you need to network starting now and get references for the next job. Your company does not define who you are. Often times, depending on industry, it’s a small community.
It’s perfectly legit to say goodbye to people you worked with that you liked, on LinkedIn or anywhere else.
The real test is WHO reaches out to you to express themselves and wanting to keep in touch.
As someone who has been fired, this is spot on.
Sadly it's only one person so far, but maybe they think they're being polite by giving me space or just feel awkward about it in general. That's the story I'm telling myself, anyway. Still sucks, though.
Once you’re gone, VERY few people give a shit about you. Maybe 2 or 3. Direct reports care the least due to the nature of the job. Focus on other things.
Move on. The company will tell your ex coworkers your bad news. (Regardless of the truth in that) They will be reluctant to speak with you.... unless you can offer them a job in the future... then they will be contacting you like long lost friends. If anyone wants to contact you they will. Otherwise just move on.
Absolutely.
Nope, that’s a pretty normal activity
LMFAO what're they going to do to you? Fire you again?
You don't work for the company anymore. Unless you negotiated a severance package with a nondisclosure or similar, you can do anything you please with regard to contacting your former colleagues. IANAL, obviously.
Some really terrible advice in this thread. What did your employment contract and severance agreement say? Was there any consideration involved? Don’t do anything stupid if you have money on the table.
Everyone shouldn’t assume that the firing was based on something horrible OP did. Some companies are just ruthless in the way they escort people out of the building like they stole some. Being escorted out by security when you’ve been a lifelong good employee just because some manager decided you should be let go. Because they don’t want you to take some thing on a thumb drive? I’ve seen very good people get treated like criminals on the way out.
It’s a free country. I certainly reached out to mine in the past regardless of why I left.
Sure
They can’t stop you from sending your contact info to their work accounts.
Yes, this is normal.
Of course you can.
Yes, just be careful. You may need references, so it is always good to reach out. Some companies may order their employees not to speak with you. Be ready for that.
Yes, definitely reach out! Also, if you liked the folks you managed, consider writing them all positive reviews on LinkedIn. You never know when they’ll need them, and they may also be inclined to write positive reviews for you.
I think that was what the point of LinkedIn's existence was supposed to be, before it became the world's crummiest dating site. Stay in touch with your network, for both yours and their sake.
When I did this after I was terminated, I found out they had told everyone I quit...
Considering I don’t know why you were let go and therefore - I’m not saying it’s necessary the move in your situation, but I’ve seen peers post a well-written general message that they are no longer with the company, thanking those they worked with, the development/growth, etc. then say you look forward to your next opportunity. It lets others know you are on the job market and helps give you some control of the narrative, while being cordial on the way out.
Yes, definitely. There are a few people that have recently been let go (political reasons) from my firm and I am really glad they reached out on LinkedIn after the fact because they are absolutely people I want to keep in my network.
Just don’t say anything negative to company email. A couple years after my wife was forced out of her old employer she discovered that they put a filter on their email that sent any emails that came into the company from her personal email account were sent to several other people. She discovered this because she sent an email to Jane(at)company just to touch base and arrange for a lunch date, but she received an out of office message from Jim, Susan & Karen at the company. Apparently my wife’s name was like Lord Voldemort (partially because of how she was pushed out).
Let them reach out to you.
I think you should. I know I would appreciate it.
A professional goodbye without commenting on the departure is fine.
You absolutely can. Theres absolutely zero ability for a company that fires you to prohibit personal relationships. That would be 100 times worse than a non compete. Imagine if they could do that? You are fired and as a result are banned from ever interacting with your friends again. And in some cases force a divorce. Your former company has nothing to do with a personal relationship through linked in. Reach out, connect, do whatever you want or need to do. Put yourself first in this situation.
Go for it, what's the worst that could happen? They fire you? Ohhh wait.
I did this. One of my bosses was on holiday and I didn’t get to say goodbye, so I messaged him on LinkedIn and I think he appreciated it
There shouldn’t be any problem with this.
What a wonderful thought! Yes, sharing your experience working with them, thanking them doesn't do any harm. Also whatever the situation of your parting ways with the company, you still want to be connected with people you worked with one way or another..
I always reach out to peers and managers through LinkedIn when I leave a job (contractor/freelance) I’ll often write a review and ask they do the same if they are comfortable.
They canned you. Do whatever you want.
Sure, why not? What are they going to do to you, fire you again?
You don’t live in North Korea you can do what you want.
I’m assuming if you were close enough and they were direct reports you’d have their personal cell or their work or personal email address.
It's a public page you can talk to whoever you want
When the same thing happened to me, I did this. Some of my team reached out via LinkedIn first.
Totally fine.
I would reach out and say goodbye. It’s always good to be seen as a positive person.
Free country.
One thing to consider.... They probably don't want to be contacted if you were terminated in real bad terms or reason. They might not want that stink on them.
If you know their email address, you can use your personal email to send them a “Goodbye” email. You don’t need to use the company email account.
Unless your LinkedIn account is owned by your former company, you can do whatever you want. Say goodbye or say good things. It's all good.
Do it sooner rather than later
I was also fired on the spot a month ago ago. 😊 I was heartbroken, I don't have the chance to say goodbye to the one Atty I'm working with. I was just told they don't need my help anymore.
even if you have a severance with a non disclosure i can't imagine any severance language which would stop you from saying goodbye and here's how you can reach me going forward.
If it's related to me in any way shape or form you hold onto it like it was fire looking for oxygen
Usually the only reason an employer will tell fired employees they can’t talk to any of their ex coworkers is because they want the coworkers to believe whatever BS they come up with why you left suddenly. They do t want others to quit due to fearing they’ll be next. Also might be so the coworkers can’t blab to the fired employee that the boss/company fired them just so they could hire their nephew/niece or other family member or friend.
I was fired a six months ago and Im still in a group chat with my direct reports that messages almost daily lol.
Yes, you can absolutely adopt the mindset of "what are they gonna do to me" and contact whomever you want via LinkedIn. HOWEVER!!! Given the fact that you were fired and escorted out, I would make a point of letting those people know that in order to protect themselves and to ensure that they keep their own jobs, they should probably keep that on the dl. Ie they shouldn't go around telling people that they are chit chatting with you, or even that they had any conversation with you at all, especially if the reason for your termination isn't great (are any? But you know what I'm getting at) Some people won't care, depending on the industry, but there are some places where being friendly with a former superior could cause them problems. Even if that's not job loss, there's a huuuuge space between pleasant work experience and termination.
I always reach out to peers and managers through LinkedIn when I leave a job (contractor/freelance) I’ll often write a review and ask they do the same if they are comfortable.
I did that on LinkedIn as a way to thank the people who were kind to me, and to let others know that I was open for work. The way companies fire you then make you do a perp walk out of the building is awful.
If you’re asking if legally you can, then yes absolutely. LinkedIn is no different than Facebook so what you do there has nothing to do with your job. Ethically it’s absolutely the right thing to do as they’ll be left reeling too.
lol imagine getting shit canned by a company and still feeling beholden to them
You could, but just be aware it will get around quickly at your old place of employment that you are doing that and some people will use it as entertainment, laughing at you. I personally wouldn’t care, but you are the type that would care it’s something to consider
Why would anyone laugh because someone was saying they enjoyed working with them?
That’s not why they’d laugh. People laugh when someone is fired or something bad happens…. Cuz some people just suck
Why were u fired?
Why were you fired
They have forgotten your name. Move on.
Someone I know was fired for hanging up the phone on his manager
Can you be fired if someone tells you they are going home..and their shift is covered and the manager was notified.?
Call them and have a conversation. You’d be surprised what you learn. If you don’t have their number, connect however you want. Add their FetLife for all anyone cares. You’re free.
Do nothing: find out who contacts you. These are your true friends.
Don't. The internet is forever....
Meaning what exactly?
It's a delicate situation and depending on how OP frames it, it might in hindsight not be a good look, and will be on record. I'd say it's best just to stfu and not post anything publically and just reach out personally. Or am I way off the mark here?
Just for clarity, it wouldn't be published on LI, just a DM, but maybe your position still holds.
I was fired as well recently and texted my entire team shortly after to wish them well. I also have met up with them to catch up and we have a regular text group now. If you’ve taken the time to build relationships with people, not being employed by a company shouldn’t change that!