How to maintain professional relationships when you’re constantly switching jobs 

A C-suite executive in a financial firm is contemplating a move. Yet despite her high-stress job, she hesitates to leave because she fears losing her social connections and sense of identity.

She acknowledges that she’s been a wildly successful high achiever and could leave her current job without suffering any financial consequences. But she worries about losing her social connections—her friends, colleagues, collaborators, and mentees. After all it’s simply not the same if you aren’t in regular contact with them. How will people relate to her if she is not an executive? Where will she go to make new friends? For this executive, leaving her work feels like leaving her tribe.

In today’s dynamic job market, changing employers every few years is the norm and not the exception. The latest labor statistics reveal that people now stay at jobs for an average of just four years, a figure that continues to decline. This trend poses a significant challenge: How can professionals maintain and grow their valuable social and professional connections when they’re constantly moving from job to job? As a social scientist who researches success and high achievers and an industrial designer who focuses on creating social connections using design thinking tools, we’ve combined our work to offer a few viable solutions.

The cost of job-switching

Switching jobs or even entire industries often means leaving behind a highly curated network of professional connections that many people spend years cultivating. It’s also important to note that these connections are not just about career advancement; they are vital for personal growth, learning, emotional support, a feeling of belonging, and a decreased sense of loneliness.

As a result, the transient nature of modern employment can lead to a feeling of isolation. Building new networks from scratch is both challenging and time-consuming, and is harder than growing an existing one.

The Importance of social connections

Social connections are not a fluffy, nice-to-have for corporations. They are a must-have, especially in a post-pandemic, flexible, fast-moving work environment. Without it, you have absenteeism caused by loneliness and social isolation, which costs the United States an estimated $154 billion a year. On the other hand, employees with healthy and strong social connections are more likely to have a sense of purpose and morale at work. In turn, this makes them more productive and innovative, and less likely to leave the organization.

How to create connection-driven workspaces

While employers play a significant role in fostering connections, there are things that employees can do to create connection-driven workspaces for themselves. Start by seeking out or initiating collaborative spaces and social activities within your organization. Engage in regular informal interactions with colleagues in communal areas such as kitchens or lounges, and participate or initiate team-building activities that interest you. Taking the initiative to design your workspace interactions can help you form deeper, lasting connections.

1. Consider becoming a mentor

A mentoring relationship doesn’t just benefit the mentee—mentors have a lot to gain, too. When you become a mentor, you carry that relationship with you when you transition to a new role. Not only that, but you can also significantly enhance your professional connections. Mentoring builds trust and empathy, strengthening professional bonds that can withstand job changes.

2. Start by connecting with yourself

We often think of social connections as starting with a conversation with another person. But it’s difficult to do that without connecting with yourself first. Start by getting to know yourself better. What are you great at when connecting with others? Are there things that you are not so great at? What values do you place when it comes to relationships? And what steps can you take to become a better connector?

For example, a world-class brand designer who seems incredibly confident told one of us that her Achilles heel is losing her confidence when meeting people she admires for the first time and freezing. Knowing this about herself, she’d developed a habit of writing her conversation points and questions on a paper napkin before an important interview or lunch meeting with someone she is in awe of. This preparation ahead of time allows her to get over her fear and have a discreet cheat sheet, just in case.

3. Leverage shared interests for deeper connections

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are commonplace within organizations and usually form around a shared identity. Use that same philosophy to create a group around shared interests, such as a sport, hobby, food, or travel. These shared interests can be a powerful tool for maintaining connections.

Take the initiative to start or join groups within your organization that focus on these common interests. By doing so, you can build meaningful relationships that are resilient to job changes, ensuring you have a strong network no matter where your career takes you.

Strengthening networks in a transient workforce

It can be a challenge to maintain professional connections in an era of constant job changes. But it is possible to build and sustain a robust professional network if you’re willing to be proactive.

Addressing this issue isn’t only about enhancing your well-being, it’s also about improving your career prospects. After all, the more people you know, the more opportunities you expose yourself to. By implementing these strategies, you can ensure that you remain engaged and connected, no matter where your career path may lead.