This is a guest post from Jo Bristow, Training Services Delivery Expert at Connor, as part of our Recruiting Weekly series. Jo shares her advice on outplacement support.
Earlier this year, a survey showed that 40% of employees thought their employers had already made redundancies in preparation for Brexit, and almost half worry that there are Brexit-related redundancies to come.
Our experience is that so far, large-scale organisational change projects have actually slowed down as a result of uncertainty around Brexit, but that doesn’t mean the fear has gone away. In fact, the upheaval of the recent General Election may mean that people’s fears are being amplified as they think about how to stretch their budgets.
What is waiting around the corner in 2020, then? This recent report predicts that Brexit might lead to the loss of 1.2 million jobs across Europe and that half a million of those will be from the UK.
So you may be looking at Brexit-related restructuring, or you may need to let employees go for other, non-related reasons. Either way, one thing we know for sure is that organisations can’t put off the inevitable forever — each delay to any necessary restructuring programme risks a loss of profit and/or competitive advantage.
So should organisations all be scrambling to invest in outplacement support? Obviously, you’ll want to wait until you know what changes you’ll be making, and who may be affected before hiring an outplacement support company. But it’s still worth thinking and preparing ahead of time so that when you do make that decision, you can act fast.
Outplacement support — what can you do now to prepare?
Now is a really good time to start thinking about what you want outplacement support to deliver for your employees — and for your organisation. Here are some of the things you’ll want to take into account before choosing a supplier:
- Emotional support during difficult times
We all know that undergoing a career change can be stressful — particularly if it’s triggered by redundancy. But with the added uncertainty caused by political turmoil and continued Brexit discussions, people will be feeling especially vulnerable right now.
If the New Year is one of your busiest times, you can’t afford to make any mistakes when handling the human side of your restructuring.
These issues alone should not delay your plans, but they should be guiding your conversations with potential suppliers. Unfortunately, some outplacement firms do still treat people like sausages in a sausage factory, giving them generic advice that they could easily find on Google.
- Personalised vs generic support
Of course, sometimes there’s a case for providing group support — if you had a group of employees heading up for retirement, for example, you might want to lay on a workshop to talk through their pension queries.
There will be other challenges; however, that relates only to the individual, and that’s why it’s so important to also match employees up with the right consultant who can coach them and give personalised support.
We pride ourselves on our match-making service — for the most part, we get it right the first time, but we never get it wrong twice. By taking time to get things right at the beginning, you save yourself from encountering problems further down the line.
- Providing support as long as it’s needed
The job market can be particularly fierce in the New Year, and it may take employees who are leaving you longer to find their next role than at other times of the year.
Outplacement support that’s charged by the hour, or limited to one or even three months, may not provide the right level of support for your people. Instead, look for support that’s based on goals and results rather than deadlines and budgets.
Let people know you care
Effective communications are also vital; leaving people in the dark about what’s happening will do nothing to quell their fears and anxieties. On the other hand, communicating things badly can amplify people’s worries.
What’s important is that if you don’t know what’s happening, you can reassure people that whatever happens, you will look after them. And of course, the moment you do know what’s going on, you need to let employees know in a swift and sensitive manner — that’s why it helps to do as much outsourcing planning as you can in advance.
Choose your outplacement support supplier with care
Given the fast-moving nature of the economy and job market, it pays to select an outplacement company that can keep up. You may have exiting employees who want to move to another country, for example, in which case, you’ll need to find someone with international outplacement experience and local reach.
You’ll also want to keep up employee morale and productivity during times that may be challenging for your business anyway, without the added complication of restructuring. And you’ll want your employees to be matched with consultants who have the breadth of experience, contacts and chemistry that they need.
These are all things a good outplacement company can and should deliver. So choose carefully, and both you and your employees should be able to weather any big waves the Brexit storm whips up.
Author, Jo Bristow – Training Services Delivery Expert
Jo joined Connor, team development programme providers in October 2018, and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the People Development centre of expertise. She is also a consultant and an accredited VoicePrint coach, designing and delivering development initiatives to organisations, teams and individuals.
She is a member of the CIPD and holds a level-5 diploma in HR management as well as a professional certificate in coaching from Henley Business School. With 20 years of commercial and operational management roles behind her, Jo brings a wealth of practical experience to her role.
Jo enjoys keeping fit by playing netball in the local league and enjoys travelling with her husband and children.
