Here’s Why You Should Support Employee Transitions

It’s an unfortunate fact of doing business that you can’t keep on all of your employees forever. You will have to let people go -- and sometimes, you’ll have to let a lot of people go. When you’re forced to make employees redundant, offering outplacement services can help them transition more smoothly into new roles -- and offering that transitional support has real benefits for your organisation.

Employees who take advantage of outplacement services when leaving a company are more likely to transition into new jobs sooner. Outplacement services can create a better transition experience for those made redundant -- they can help redundant employees cope emotionally as well as offering them the professional services they need to find another position. As an employer, you’ll enjoy a stronger reputation as an organisation that takes care of its people, even when they’re no longer its people. As a result, you’ll face fewer lawsuits and attract better job candidates when you’re ready to bring on new talent once again.

Redundant Employees Will Move on Faster

Outplacement services are meant to help redundant employees transition as smoothly as possible into new roles. They typically consist of services like career counseling, skills training, networking opportunities, and access to job opportunities that may not be available to the general public or may be hard for redundant employees to find on their own. Outplacement services can be especially helpful for employees who have been with your organisation for a long time, perhaps filling the same role for years -- these employees will typically have rusty job search skills and may need help practicing job interview skills, updating their CVs, and drafting their cover letters. Employees who get this kind of assistance with a forced career transition will find new employment faster, and that can mean better outcomes for your organisation, too.

You Can Take Some of the Sting Out of Redundancy

Losing a job is stressful and difficult, especially for those employees whose identities are wrapped up in what they do for a living. Offering outplacement services to redundant employees can make the transition process less stressful. Just having something productive to do in the days immediately following a redundancy can make a huge difference to an employee’s state of mind and emotional well-being, as they’ll be equipped to feel more in charge of the situation. Many outplacement services firms also offer emotional and psychological counseling services, as well as group networking sessions and seminars where job seekers can meet others going through the same thing.

Your Reputation Will Benefit

An employee that fails to move on to another position quickly after a redundancy is one that is more likely to become disgruntled, and few things can damage your corporate reputation like disgruntled former employees. Unhappy people who resent losing their jobs and don’t have support for their career transitions will post bad reviews of your company online and speak badly of your organisation to their friends. You can quickly get a reputation for being an uncaring organization that doesn’t do right by its people. Your organisation will struggle to attract top talent and may even lose customers if you get a reputation for being harsh to your workers.

You Can Avoid Lawsuits

An investment in outplacement services can benefit your organisation in many ways, one of which is by helping to prevent lawsuits. Outplacement services can give an outgoing employee a better experience with his or her career transition. That feeling of being supported, combined with the actual help an employee receives, can discourage him or her from feeling the need to file a wrongful termination lawsuit.

Your Organisation Will Attract Better Job Candidates

The best job candidates want to go to companies that take good care of their workers, and that means they’re looking for the best benefits packages. To look appealing to top candidates, you need to offer competitive annual leave, benefits like life insurance and disability insurance, and outplacement services. You should lay outplacement services on the table with your other benefit when you’re courting a new candidate or bringing on a new hire. More of the best candidates will want to work for your organisation when they know they’ll be supported, even after they leave the company.

Outplacement services are quickly becoming an essential employee benefit, especially in today’s uncertain times. Offer your employees the support they need to transition away from your company, and you’ll reap the benefits in terms of productivity, high morale, and a great corporate reputation.