OUTPLACEMENT WITH DIGNITY

There are many reasons why organisations need to pursue outplacement or redundancy for employees Ð a change in structure, a need to respond to market downturn, relocation of facilities or perhaps a merger. Regardless of the reason, making staff redundant is a difficult process for managers, remaining staff, and of course those staff who are losing their jobs.

At Chandler Macleod, we have considerable experience in providing outplacement support to companies, allowing them to achieve outplacement with dignity. We do this through providing programs to assist managers who have to undertake the announcements, offering advice on how best to treat those that remain, and in particular, implementing career transition programs for those who are leaving an organisation.

A DELICATE BUT NECESSARY SKILL

An outplacement discussion may be one of the most daunting tasks that a manager ever has to face. However, the ability to notify an employee of their redundancy in a caring and professional manner is an important skill in the repertoire of any manager.

Getting it right will set the right tone for taking your company forward to its next stage of development.

Getting it wrong can seriously undermine the morale of staff that remain, which can echo throughout your business for years to come.

A survey conducted by Leadership IQ found that as a result of poorly planned or executed redundancies: 1

• 87% of staff were less likely to recommend their organisation as a good place to work
• 81% indicated that customer service had declined
• 77 % saw more errors and mistakes being made
• 64% had observed their colleagues' productivity decline
• 61% were of the opinion that their organisation's prospects had worsened
• 75% of the 4172 workers who kept their jobs indicated that their own productivity had dropped since their organisation let people go.

This delicate situation can be made easier, however, if firm guidelines are followed.

Appropriate and well considered outplacement procedures can minimise the possibility of:

• Legal action that may be costly and demanding to the organisation and the individual.
• A serious threat to the self-esteem of the individual concerned.
• An erosion of productivity, morale and the sense of security held by other employees.
• The public image of the organisation being adversely affected.

Chandler Macleod's Outplacement and Career Transition services are highly regarded and are well known within a variety of industries for providing the highest quality services and a flexible approach, to ensure each program is tailored to suit the individual's requirements.

Offering Outplacement services is increasingly something that's expected in the modern business environment, and is seen as part of the duty of care towards your employees. There are also issues surrounding the public image of your company, and the impact that Outplacement may have on your desire to become or remain an Employer of Choice.

Our experience includes decommissioning of manufacturing sites, mergers and acquisitions project design and delivery, closure of national operations, production plant revitalisation for return to profit, and resizing and redundancy planning.

THE BEST FOR THOSE WHO STAY

Our Outplacement and Career Transition programs can help you to manage this process in a caring, professional way, helping to turn a potentially destructive situation into one which results in benefits to both the separated employee and the organisation.

Prior to the announcement of any redundancy, we can offer support for line managers, preparing them for the best and most professional outcomes. Essentially, Chandler Macleod can advise on the when's, where's and how's of going about it.

In assisting you to manage and plan the outplacement process, we gather as much information as we can regarding the circumstances of the redundancy, the background of the person and any potential problems such as health, marital difficulties or cultural issues.

We can be available on site to meet the individual immediately after the redundancy to deal with any immediate concerns and discuss how the person can leave the organisation with dignity. It also provides us with a chance to assess the person's mental state and to ensure that appropriate support is available.

Chandler Macleod provides terminated employees with an immediate support group, a systematic program for career management and a plan of action. We are able to significantly reduce anxiety levels and encourage positive, optimistic, yet realistic attitudes during the transition.

While each situation is unique, we find the reactions of individual staff fall into a limited number of categories, which our specialists can help you prepare for and handle delicately. Additionally, there are a number of pitfalls that managers often fall into, and we can show you how to avoid them.

For staff that remain, we can provide Change Management workshops. The goal of these is to minimise the negative impact of the announcement, and to maintain the motivation, productivity and morale of those staff not directly affected.

THE BEST FOR THOSE WHO LEAVE

For staff who are departing, the key objective is allowing an individual to leave in a dignified way, retaining their self-esteem.

We offer individually tailored programs of support to staff, in order for them to initiate a job search strategy, including:

• One to one counselling on the day of the announcement and individual career coaching
• A range of individual program options, ranging from workshop based with coaching, through to open programs for senior executives
• Access to our exclusive online tool and Interview Guidance training methodologies
• Monthly progress reports, feedback and evaluations
• Over 35 workshop topics to select from, including Developing Your 30 second Commercial, Negotiating Your Next Package, Working with Recruiters, and Mature Age Employment Challenges
• Chandler Macleod can also provide counselling for partners and families, if required.

For information on how Chandler Macleod can assist your business, contact:

NSW / ACT
Danielle Stevens
Principal Consultant
(02) 9269 8627

QLD
Dave Jones
QLD State Manager Consulting
(07) 3003 7755

VIC / SA / TAS
John Vilianiotis
Principal Consultant
(03) 8629 1259

WA
Jamie Greer
Principal Consultant
(08) 9217 0553

Source: 1Leadership IQ Survey 2008