As a company grows and evolves, it’s common for some employees to leave the organization. However, their LinkedIn profiles may still show them as current employees of your company. Having outdated profiles can create confusion and reflect poorly on your employer brand. Fortunately, there are a few ways to remove ex-employees from your LinkedIn Company Page.
Why Remove Former Employees?
Here are some key reasons you may want to remove departed staff members from LinkedIn:
- Prevent misrepresentation – Keeping former employees listed makes it seem like they still work there. This can be misleading to customers and partners.
- Maintain an accurate org chart – An up-to-date list of employees enables connections to easily identify who currently works there.
- Project a strong employer brand – Showcasing real, active team members makes your company more appealing to prospects and candidates.
- Reduce irrelevant suggestions – LinkedIn’s algorithms may recommend connecting with people who no longer work for your organization.
Keeping your LinkedIn company roster current helps convey accuracy and quality. It also ensures your employer brand puts your best foot forward.
LinkedIn’s 3-Step Process
LinkedIn provides employers with a simple 3-step process to remove ex-staffers from the Company Page:
- Go to your Company Page and access the admin tools.
- Locate the former employee’s profile under “Manage Team Members.”
- Select “Remove” next to their name and confirm.
This will immediately take them off your company’s list of employees. However, their profile itself will remain unchanged.
Step 1: Access Your Company Page Admin Tools
First, navigate to your LinkedIn Company Page. Make sure you are logged in to the account that is set up as company administrator.
Next, click on the “Admin Tools” button located along the top menu bar of your page. This will open the admin dashboard.
Step 2: Locate the Former Employee
From the admin toolbar, click on “Manage Team Members” along the left side. Here you will see a list of all current employees associated with your company’s LinkedIn page.
Scroll through the list to find the person or people you want to remove. You can search for their name if needed.
Step 3: Remove the Employee
Once you’ve located the ex-employee’s profile, simply click the “Remove” button next to their name.
A pop-up will appear asking you to confirm. Click “Yes” to complete the process. That person is now no longer linked to your Company Page.
Other Ways to Remove Former Staff
In addition to LinkedIn’s admin remove feature, there are a couple other options to detach former employees from your company profile:
Request the Person Update Their Profile
You can directly ask the ex-staffer to update their LinkedIn profile to reflect they no longer work at your organization. Many people simply forget to make this change after leaving a company.
A quick message reminding them to update their work status can often fix things fast. Make sure to do so politely and without pressure.
Report a Profile for Updates
If the former employee is unresponsive or unwilling to change their profile, you can report it to LinkedIn for an update.
Go to their profile and click the “More” icon in the “Experience” section. Choose “Report/Update profile.”
Then select “Employer legitimacy” and share details on why their current experience needs to be revised.
Best Practices
Follow these tips for seamlessly removing ex-employees from LinkedIn:
- Act quickly when an employee leaves to keep your Company Page current.
- Double check if the person updated their profile status before taking administrative action.
- Use tactful language if asking the individual to make profile changes.
- Only report a profile after trying to resolve the issue directly.
- Consider adding new team members to offset removed employees.
Keeping your LinkedIn company roster up-to-date will ensure it accurately represents your current team. Just be sure to do so in a professional, considerate manner.
Prompt Profile Updates
One way to stay on top of removing ex-employees is prompting them to update their LinkedIn status as part of your offboarding process.
Here are some ideas to encourage quick profile changes:
Make it Part of Exit Interviews
During exit interviews, remind departing staff to update their LinkedIn and other social profiles to reflect they are no longer at your company. This friendly nudge can go a long way.
Send an Email Reminder
After an employee gives notice, email them a checklist of items to complete before their last day. Updating their work status on LinkedIn and other networks should be included.
Provide Profile Update Instructions
Give clear guidelines on how to change their employment status, endorse colleagues, and make other profile adjustments upon leaving. The easier you make it, the faster it will get done.
Offer a LinkedIn Recommendation
Providing recommendations makes parting on good terms more likely. As part of your message, kindly ask them to change their profile once you’ve given them a recommendation.
Removing Former Employees on Other Networks
Along with LinkedIn, ensure ex-staffers are removed across your company’s other social media networks:
Go to your company Facebook page and remove the person from any current employee lists. You can also report their profile for needing employment updates.
Check Instagram bios and highlights to see if the person is still listed as working for your brand. Edit or report these to get them removed.
If their Twitter bio still mentions your company, you can tweet at them or report their profile to get this updated.
Company Website
Don’t forget to check for any employee directories or staff pages on your website. Remove their listing once they are no longer working for you.
Maintaining Company Confidentiality
When an employee leaves, it’s important they continue respecting company confidentiality guidelines:
- Have them sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) upon departure.
- Remind them not to share proprietary information publicly.
- Request removing company name from social media profiles.
- Ask that they do not speak for or represent the company moving forward.
Setting clear expectations around privacy and discretion will protect your company interests.
Parting on Good Terms
While removing ex-employees from LinkedIn is important, make sure to do so on positive terms:
- Thank them for their contributions and time at your company.
- Provide strong recommendations highlighting their talents.
- Offer to serve as a professional reference.
- Keep the door open for future opportunities to reconnect.
Treating exiting staff members with compassion ensures your brand leaves a lasting positive impression.
Conclusion
Removing ex-employees from your LinkedIn Company Page is a necessary step to maintaining a current and accurate brand image. With LinkedIn’s admin tools, it only takes a few clicks to detach former staff members. Consider prompting profile updates during offboarding. And always make an effort to part on good terms. Keeping your LinkedIn roster fresh and authentic will strengthen your employer brand and talent acquisition strategies.