The Organizational Benefits of Outplacement
Being laid off sucks, but it seems to be worst for the worker who gets the ax. After all, the employers will likely continue to exist — thrive, even — after a few employees see the door.
However, the truth is organizations can struggle significantly during periods of reduction to staff. Even if businesses are merely eliminating obsolete positions and departments, the turmoil of restructuring and the danger of hurting previous workers is immense. That’s why the career transition industry was born and why it is gaining so much traction today.
Outplacement benefits are undeniably advantageous to talent. They assist let-go employees in reorienting themselves in the existing job market and nearly ensure everyone finds worthy employment after being dismissed. Yet, outplacement is a service that benefits organizations, as well, for the following impactful reasons.
Relationship Management
Not every workplace parting is a happy one for the organization. Talent must be let go for myriad reasons, and not all of them are because workers are misbehaving. Often, workplaces staff for redundancy to make sure there is enough manpower when business is good, but if business dips for an extended period, those excess workers must go. If business improves, many organizations hope to get that talent back — but if the departure was sour, there might be little chance of that.
Outplacement services allow organizations to maintain healthy relationships with displaced employees. Rather than ungraciously ejecting workers who contributed to a business’s success, outplacement helps them transition to new employment, leaving those workers positive memories instead of bitter disappointment. By showing they care about their employees’ futures, organizations can maintain some hope of regaining lost talent — or at least encouraging that talent to recommend other good workers in their place.
Brand Management
Branding is everything. Without a solid brand, it is much more difficult for an organization to gain visibility, accumulate an audience, establish direction, and maintain distinction from competitors. In the incredibly aggressive marketing environment of today, businesses need to rely on strong, reputable branding to get ahead. Everything about an organization contributes to its brand message, from the colors in its logo to its workplace recycling policy, but treatment of employees seems to be increasingly important to modern consumers.
Organizations must take care of their staff to establish a people-focused brand. The easiest way to do this is crafting thorough benefits packages, to include outplacement services. When employees are happy even after leaving a workplace, word spreads fast — not only will consumers be more eager to support that brand, but better talent might also come looking for available positions with a trustworthy company.
Liability Management
At least initially, hurt feelings abound during the termination process. Workers are often surprised by the end of their employment, and many will respond to that surprise with emotions like rage and resentment. Unfortunately, those bad feelings could manifest into determination for revenge — perhaps in the form of legal action.
While outplacement won’t prevent all employees from retaliating against former employers, it often mitigates the desire to take revenge. Paying to help employees find new work, thereby decreasing periods of financial uncertainty for those displaced workers, helps assuage feelings of fear and anger and replace them with gratitude and fondness. Plus, ex-employees who do prove to be litigious will have a much more difficult legal battle proving that such a progressive, people-focused organization behaved wrongly. For several reasons, outplacement can help to reduce the liabilities of letting employees go.
Productivity Management
It may seem odd that a benefit restricted to employees who no longer contribute to an organization’s productivity should increase production so drastically, but it’s true: Businesses that use outplacement services tend to have higher productivity rates than their outplacement-less competitors. The reason for this is closely tied to the other benefits outplacement brings. The benefit sets talent at ease, reassuring workers that if times get hard, the organization is willing to provide support in one way or another. When the workforce is less stressed, employees can more efficiently accomplish tasks and reach goals. The rewards of outplacement services drastically outweigh the costs, even when it comes to simple dollars and cents.
For talent, outplacement is a golden parachute that will safely transport them into another worthwhile position. For organizations, outplacement means a strong and stable talent network — which leads to increased consumer interest and better profits. Outplacement is essentially a win-win situation, which is why everyone should be adopting these outstanding benefits.
We hope you enjoyed the above post in cooperation with Socialnomics!
