Sometimes a business has to make difficult decisions when it comes to human resources. Occasionally, such decisions involve layoffs, furloughs, redundancy. Perhaps it’s an unexpected and unavoidable workforce reduction. Regardless of the cause, the organization’s HR department needs to take care of terminated employees to treat them with dignity and set them on a path to transition to another job. This is where outplacement services can help.
An outplacement service assists terminated employees in the transition to a new job. Various services such as resume preparation, coaching, and job searching are available to the former employee. The idea is to reduce stress for the employee moving into a new career while protecting the organization. Outplacement functions as a helpful service for when times get tough. Here are a few ways incorporating outplacement into your HR practices can help former employees:
Support difficult transitions
No one wants to be laid off or downsized. Fortunately, the transition for both the employee and the employer doesn’t need to be complicated. An outplacement service doesn’t do all of the work; they simply assist the employee with robust coaching and tools to help them transition into a role at another company. Rather than going to an office or another area to meet with an outplacement coach, much of the communication can be accomplished via the phone or online. This way, the employee can comfortably work on finding a new job fast and with minimal difficulty. On the employer side, supporting a smooth transition for a downsized employee shows you care about what happens to workers after leaving the organization. Doing so bolsters morale among unaffected employees, helps reduce potential lawsuits and secures your own company’s reputation.
Career insight and networking training
In the modern job market, networking is more important than ever. Sites like LinkedIn are all the rage when it comes to landing work, and making connections is likely the best path to finding new employment. Using professional outplacement services provides a speedy, easy transition into teaching the applicant the necessary skills for proper networking. Outplacement can point an applicant in the right direction of the people they need to know (and interact with) to land a new job. Phone and email templates to help make these connections are all part of what these services have to offer. Some outplacement firms use technology to automatically match an applicant to potential job openings, releasing them from the burden of using a job board or other scattered methods. A job coach can also handpick jobs suited to the applicant to provide insight and a path into their potential new career.
No cost to the employee
The last thing a terminated employee should have to deal with is the cost of finding a new job. Often, outplacement can be included as part of a severance package and paid for by the employer. Providing this invaluable service to laid-off employees insulates your reputation while assisting them on the job hunt. Getting a displaced employee into a new job quickly isn’t just the right thing to do for them; it’s practical for your company. Successful outplacement reduces costs associated with unemployment and off-boarding in addition to helping employees.
Resume coaching
The building or updating of a resume—especially after a lengthy stay at an organization—is a challenging endeavor. An outplacement service will help affected employees enhance or rewrite their resumes within a week of the layoff. Some more effective services have professional resume writers who will prepare a resume suited to the displaced employee. Customizing the resume expressly to appeal to hiring managers within a particular industry gives the employee a better chance of quickly finding a new job. A professional resume also has a better chance to move through an automated applicant tracking system to give the employee a better shot at getting the right new job.
Positive reinforcement on the path to a new career
Positive reinforcement goes a long way to fostering a good relationship with former employees and giving them peace of mind. Positive support from coaches, resume writers, and other outplacement services are critical to any off-boarding process’s success. A good service will give HR and management direct results into how former employees see the company and maintain a positive relationship with former employees. Best of all, about 83% of affected employees land a job with equal (or, sometimes better) pay through the use of an outplacement service.
