Outplacement services, also known as career transition services, are coaching programs that help separated employees land their next position faster. Here’s five quick reasons to consider offering outplacement.
1. Increases loyalty, productivity, and morale for remaining workforce
Layoffs, workforce reductions and other types of terminations can have a negative impact on the morale and productivity of the remaining staff. Offering outplacement services to the terminated employees is a great way to show the remaining employees that they are valued and that their employer cares about them.
Outplacement also supports your management team. Sometimes layoffs are inevitable and companies are left with the tough decision to terminate some of their workers. Letting workers go can be tough for managers but knowing that an employee will be supported through a transition can eliminate the stress and costs related to the delay in making those decisions.
2. Protects your reputation
A company’s reputation is extremely important in this current labor market. A comprehensive exit strategy that includes outplacement services can help defuse potential comments or posts that can be damaging to your organization’s reputation while reinforcing a positive view by the staff and community. Through social media, negative posts and comments can be circulated quickly and can have a significant impact, sometimes costing you future employees or potential customers. Offering outplacement promotes a solid business reputation, demonstrate your company’s commitment to employees, and highlights your ability to provide the solutions job seekers need, such as access to networking connections and job boards.
3. Supports corporate values
What do your core values say about the importance of your staff? Just as important as your onboarding program, a comprehensive exit strategy also helps to demonstrate your corporate values and culture. Providing outplacement services demonstrates that the company’s core values aren’t just clichés. A layoff can be devastating for an employee, not only is it a loss of income but it can be a loss of identity and community. There’s no better time to show that you value your employees, even when tough decisions are being made.
4. Reduce your costs/exposure
The benefits of outplacement far outweigh the cost of implementing a quality program. Outplacement can help lower the cost for extension of benefits, including severance pay, insurance coverage, and unemployment compensation.
5. Diminish risk of litigation
Losing a job is never easy and often feels unfair which can result in litigation. Even when there’s no basis for wrongful termination, there’s the expense of both time and money to defend your business. Outplacement helps redirect the attention toward the future and what comes next rather than dwelling on the past. We will meet with the employee immediately after the termination to begin the process of moving forward.
Outplacement can provide a substantial return on your investment…it’s not just the right thing to do, it’s just good business! Call Cheryl Church at 815-961-0400 today to find out more.
