Read Time: 4 minutes
11 April 2023
Leadership and Management Development
According to a recent study by Acas, one in five U.K. businesses are considering redundancies in the next 12 months. If this is a necessary evil, will they be doing it the right way for those involved?!
Going through a process of redundancy impacts the business, those being made redundant and also those who are left in the business. Organisations that chose to manage the process in a humane and ethical way with a people-first approach can turn a potentially harmful situation into an opportunity for all involved.
In this article we will explore the use of outplacement services and the benefits of engaging with career transition coach.
Outplacement is a confidential service offered by employers to employees who are transitioning out of their current role or organisation. The process is designed to make the transition as positive as it can be and focuses on making successful steps towards a new job role or career.
Why do organisations offer outplacement to departing employees?
Ignoring the simple fact that offering a service to support employees who are facing redundancy is simply the right thing to do, there are many additional benefits to the company.
1. Brand protection
Industries are small and people talk, especially with the rise of social media and past and present employees having access to rate organisations on websites like Glassdoor. Redundancies are hard, and no matter the level of understanding it impacts people’s lives in a potentially negative way. If the process is mismanaged the impact can be significant, word will spread and your brand as an employer will be damaged.
2. Litigation
Offering support to those being made redundant lessens the potential of any legal repercussions. If a former employee remains out of work for extended periods of time, they will find it increasingly hard to move on from the ‘damaging event’ and start blaming their previous employer for their unemployment.
3. Internal reputation
Redundancies will not just affect those being made redundant, the news rumbles across the business and reminds every one of their possible transience and puts their own job security in question. Offering support to transition employees into new roles and careers outside of the organisation can reassure others that the business cares for their future. This will help with employee engagement and how your people talk about the business and your culture.
4. Managing Change
Change in any business is hard and when people’s livelihoods are in question, the impact is intensified. When communicating the redundancies or requesting applications for voluntary redundancies, having a support package in place helps land the news in a more positive and supporting light.
Why engage with outplacement as an employee?
Forced and sudden change can be daunting and make it difficult to see a clear way forward. The outplacement coach is there to support transitioning employees through change to a successful new career, role or lifestyle.
They can help deal with the initial shock, and to think more expansively about how the individual’s skills can be applied in a new role. They will also provide encouragement and challenge if needed, so that the individual presents themselves in the best way possible to potential employers, from job application through to interview.
Outplacement is facilitated over five sessions through a combination of face to face, virtual and over the phone meetings each lasting around 90 minutes. They could also be broken down into smaller bite-sized sessions to review, sense check and critique feedback.
Although delivered within a framework, each support package is unique and designed around the individual’s needs. Support is offered in the following areas:
Managing yourself through change
Career coaching and job suitability
Self-care and a growth mindset approach
Personality profiles and behavioural preferences
CV construction, critiquing, and development
Presenting well at interview
Resilience, and bouncing back
Your personal brand
Sometimes people in an organisation just aren’t in the right role. They have potential and they are engaged with the business but their skills, attitudes and competencies could be better placed in a different department. So rather than lose the individual, engaging with a career transition coach can help the committed employee find a new role within the business that’s a better fit for all parties. This might be a process of retraining, finding a mentor or even simply just giving it a go in a new team with support. When a business offers a career transition service internally, they increase retention, improve diversity and build employee engagement.
There is also the other side that if the career transition coach and employee cannot identify a more suitable role within the business, then the coach will work alongside the individual to secure something externally. After all, it’s better to have employees who want to be in the business than having some who aren’t the right fit, and positioning them in another organisation can sometimes be the best for all concerned.
Our team of qualified, experienced coaches have been working alongside organisations that pride themselves in giving their employees the best possible experience, even when their future might not be with their current employer.
Self-awareness
Resilience
Personal Development
Change
Decision making
Growth mindset
Hybrid team working
Communication
Meetings
Feedback
Collaboration
Trust
Leadership styles
Psychological safety
Leading change
Mission, vision, values
Culture
Mentoring
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