Fostering positive relationships at work is vital to job satisfaction and career advancement; however, maintaining these bonds after leaving one company may prove challenging.

Reconnecting with former colleagues may feel awkward, but simple gestures such as providing them a LinkedIn recommendation or sending a card can make the process less uncomfortable.

1. Keep in Touch via Email

Maintaining professional relationships can be challenging, and you should do whatever is necessary to stay in contact. While reaching out to friends and family may require little more than an occasional email, professional relationships need a different level of care. Former connections could offer invaluable insight or knowledge that could assist with current projects or potential new job opportunities.

Maintain a casual yet professional tone in email communication when communicating with former coworkers via email, such as sharing work-related articles once every quarter or sending a note wishing them happy work anniversary. Avoid over-contacting them as this may appear as desperate and rude behavior.

Staying in contact with former work colleagues can help build your network and increase the odds of finding new career opportunities. Maintaining strong friendships may provide emotional support during challenging times; furthermore, maintaining such connections makes collaboration with them on future projects or freelance works much simpler.

2. Send a Card

Cultivating relationships with colleagues offers many professional advantages. Such relationships can increase job satisfaction and open doors to new opportunities; not to mention being essential to maintaining mental and emotional wellness in the workplace.

Reconnecting after being away can sometimes be challenging, but there are ways to make the process simpler and less awkward than before. Emails can be an easy and efficient way to stay in contact with former coworkers while receiving a handwritten card in the mail is always more personal and intimate than any electronic exchanges.

If you haven't spoken to your colleague in some time, reach out by asking open-ended questions that can spark conversation. Simply asking how their family is doing or what hobbies or plans there might be for the future can make for great conversation starters and demonstrate that you care about their lives outside work; this may help ease tensions from previous working relationships that were negatively impacted.

3. Send a Message on Social Media

Remember the old Girl Scout song? "Make new friends, but keep the old; one is silver and the other gold." Liking your colleagues makes going to work (or logging onto video conference calls) more enjoyable, boosts morale, increases productivity, and fosters stamina for a successful long career path.

If reconnecting with old colleagues via social media feels awkward, try making the conversation personal by posting pictures from your weekend and asking your colleagues questions such as, "What are you reading now" and "How is your family doing."

Reconnect with former colleagues by visiting alumni sections on firm web sites where you have worked and law schools where you attended college or law school. Keep track of these contacts through an easily searchable spreadsheet; former colleagues can serve as valuable mentors and advisors - they might even join your personal board - and can share job openings or opportunities that might otherwise pass you by. They might even share experiences to support career growth!

4. Schedule a Face-to-Face Meeting

Maintaining professional relationships with former colleagues can bring many advantages. Maintaining these links can offer invaluable insights and perspectives, expand your network, and lead to new career opportunities.

Attending face-to-face meetings are the ideal way to build and maximize a relationship, yet can present its own set of unique challenges that require thoughtful planning and execution.

Meeting etiquette begins by arriving on time, respecting others' schedules, and showing commitment. Once at the meeting, avoid distractions by keeping electronic devices to a minimum and refraining from interrupting speakers. Communicate clearly while encouraging participants to provide their opinions and expertise by offering nonverbal cues such as body language and facial expressions that can gauge sentiment and foster understanding.

No matter their role - friend, mentor or boss - it's crucial that any disagreements with colleagues be discussed openly and directly. For instance, if an argument has ensued between coworkers or you made remarks which led them to dislike you personally, apologize and explain why things deteriorated before working towards clearing up matters in a future meeting.

5. Send a Gift

If you've become friends with one of your colleagues over time, why not show it with a gift? For instance, consider picking up something simple and inexpensive that reflects their interests; such as sending them a potted succulent or glass terrarium. Or if they enjoy wine and cocktails then give them a seven-piece cocktail set! Alternatively gift cards make fantastic options, particularly when indecisive on what exactly to get someone.

If there's a coworker that's been creating friction in your workplace, invite them out for lunch or coffee and discuss things other than work. Doing this may allow you to learn more about them as individuals while discovering unexpected commonalities between you. In doing this, it may even shed some light on why there may be conflict - perhaps they see your ambitions interfering with theirs, or upset about something outside work altogether.

Organise a "pechakucha" event at your office where each employee shares 10 photos about their lives outside work in two minutes or less - it is an effective way of getting to know co-workers more intimately while stimulating off-line dialogues and building relationships with new ones.