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Nikki Reed recently attended a U.S. Open party in New York City and told People how excited she was that her old Twilight coworker and friend Ashley Greene would be there, too. “We worked so closely for so long, and it’s strange because you become this family unit, and the series ended and you’re pulled apart,” Reed told the publication of her Twilight cast. “You kind of hope you cross paths, and we all keep in touch like via text or email or whatever, but it’s not often that we all get to be together.”

The girl’s got a point. And although she’s talking about Hollywood relationships, the bigger message still stands true: It’s hard to stay in touch with your former coworkers after you’ve gone on to a new job. After all, in the past, it was a given that you’d see them every single day. But once you leave, you’re venturing into unchartered friendship territory: *actually making plans.*

MORE: 6 Ways to Strengthen Your Friendships

And that’s important not just for your social life, but also for your career. “Your old coworkers are the people who will point you to new opportunities,” says Carlin Flora, friendship expert and author of Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are. “Your LinkedIn account is probably full of near strangers who don’t really care about you, but your former best work friend is going to tell you right away if a job opportunity that’s right for you comes up. And you should do the same for them!”

Here, Flora explains how to stay in touch with the people you used to see every day at the office.

Schedule Regular “Reunions” (Even If They’re Only Once a Year)
If you became friends with a whole gaggle of people at your previous job, it can be hard to keep in touch with all of them individually. After all, you already had outside-of-work friends you had to balance seeing when you were in your old position, so throwing your former coworkers into that already-full mix can be daunting. Scheduling group reunions kills about 1,000 birds with one stone. Plus, you get to experience that same group vibe you had when you all practically lived together anyway. “Even if it’s just once a year, like, say, December around the holidays, it still makes for a great tradition,” says Flora.

MORE: Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting’s 5 Tips for Career Success

Plan Meet-Ups Around Industry Events
Assuming you guys are still in the same industry, keep tabs on big networking events that are happening in your world—and make sure to go to them, suggests Flora. In fact, if you know a big happy hour is on the horizon, email your former coworkers to be sure that they’re going; you can even ask if they want to hang out before or after the event.

Get All Up on Their Social Media
Let’s face it: At this point, your social media world and your regular world are essentially blended into one big you-world. And that works in your favor when it comes to keeping in touch with your old coworkers, explains Flora. When you see that one just had something big—a birthday, a promotion, a wedding, whatever—be sure to send him or her a text or an email or call to say congrats. That way, when you do hang face to face, it won’t feel like you’re popping in out of the abyss, and it’ll be easier to have a closer, more in-the-moment conversation, rather than simply catching up on the events of the past year.

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