Explore the advantages of promoting employee outplacement services to your departing team members.
Employee Outplacement is an Essential Component of Your Layoff Checklist
As your organization gears up for layoffs, preparing your layoff checklist and action steps is crucial. You’ll need a detailed plan for decision-making, notifications, and helping everyone affected recover from a stressful time. Once your plan is in motion, encouraging separated employees to utilize outplacement services is one of the most critical steps you can take.
Why Outplacement Support is a Win-Win for You and Your Employees
After a layoff, outplacement services become an invaluable resource for employees eager to regain employment. However, outplacement career transition services also benefit your remaining employees and the organization. Consider this:
- Job seekers who work with professional outplacement services find work more than 2.5 times faster than those who don’t.
- Employees with a positive work exit experience are 2.9 times more likely to recommend their organization to others than those with neutral or negative experiences.
- According to PwC’s 2023 Trust Survey, 53% of employees agree that providing employee outplacement services to those laid off builds the remaining employees’ trust in the employer. (Learn more about layoff survivor guilt.)
6 Ways Outplacement Services Empower Employees
1. Minimizes the Risk of Legal Action Even in instances of lawful terminations, separated employees can experience feelings of anxiety and anger, leading them to consider taking legal action. Moreover, any lawsuit, including those based on unfounded claims, can be distracting and costly for a business to defend. Employee outplacement reduces the risk of legal action by helping affected employees manage their emotions, look to the future, and develop a more amicable relationship with the organization.
2. Can Significantly Reduce Unemployment Insurance Costs Working with a professional coach can help your employees transition faster and even negotiate for better hours and compensation than without an outplacement coach. This helps reduce your unemployment experience rate, which can lower your overall costs.
3. Supports Your Company’s Reputation During a layoff, your critical stakeholders are watching—including customers, current employees, and prospective hires. Sending employees into an unknown future without outplacement services can result in a flood of negative reviews online and through word of mouth. On the other hand, providing comprehensive outplacement services demonstrates your corporate responsibility and care for departing employees, enhancing your employer brand and reputation.
4. Gives Transitioning Employees a Sense of Optimism Outplacement services provide a safety net for employees uncertain of what may be next in their career. Rather than settling for the first available job and risking underemployment, separated employees receive professional guidance to enhance their job search skills and reconnect with their network. With ongoing support, they build confidence in themselves and their chances of securing a new opportunity.
5. Leaves the Door Open for Possible Rehire Treating departing employees with respect helps maintain trust and may increase the chances they’ll return. Research indicates that in many industries, up to a quarter of new hires are “boomerang employees”—former employees who are rehired,. These individuals bring with them a familiarity with organizational processes and people, enabling them to hit the ground running on day one.
6. Gives Existing Employees Extra Reassurance Layoffs can leave the employees who remain feeling angry, anxious, and disengaged. However, providing employee outplacement to their exiting coworkers counteracts those feelings. It demonstrates that the organization values and supports its workforce, even during tough times. This reassurance is a valuable morale booster and supports employee engagement and retention.
Need a comprehensive layoff checklist to cement your plans and cover all the bases? Get everything you need to manage a company layoff with the Ultimate Workforce Reduction Checklist.
Trust IMPACT Group for Expert Employee Outplacement Coaching
A smooth layoff experience is critical to your business, brand, and workforce. For separated employees experiencing a range of overwhelming emotions, outplacement services offer hope and an actionable plan for moving forward. Our certified career coaches and interactive job search portal offer the tools and support each individual needs to position themselves for success in today’s job market. We work with clients of all sizes across multiple industries and locations.
With coaching expertise in 105+ countries and 25 languages, we can pair your departing employees with dedicated outplacement coaching to guide them in transitioning to their next career opportunity. Ready to add comprehensive outplacement services to your layoff checklist? Get started and book an introductory call with us today.
