Job loss is painful for a number of reasons, both for the company as well as the impacted employees. While nothing can take away the pain, outplacement services help ease the situation.
Now, it may seem counter-intuitive for the organization to invest more money in additional services when trying to cut costs, but engaging in Outplacement services offers both a practical approach to individuals and solidifies the moral imperative for the company.
Why outplacement is a good business decision:
- Outplacement minimizes the risk of lawsuits and long term unemployment filed by disgruntled employees. Contribute to their future so they don’t look to the past with contempt and bitterness.
- Outplacement provides a sense of comfort to the people that are still employed by the organization.
- Outplacement can be the difference in a great company reputation and a poor company reputation.
- Outplacement directly affects your company’s brand. Outplacement brands the company in a positive light, exhibiting that the company cares about what happens to the people impacted. Don’t forget, down the road you’ll need to recruit quality talent. It will be much easier to recruit if you maintain happy employees, a good brand, and positive W.O.M. (word-of-mouth).
Above all, there is a moral imperative here. It is simply the right thing to do. Organizations that truly care about its people do not stop caring simply because their jobs have been eliminated. Remember the golden rule:
A reduction in force is never easy. Invest in the future of the employees being impacted and invest in the future of the organization to ensure that the separation is positive and successful.
With technology today, bad news travels at the speed of your internet connection. Demonstrating good will generate good public relations and will help your employees move forward emotionally. Impacted employees tend to spread the word quite prolifically. As business leaders, you need to take control of the story that is passed around on the street and on the internet.
Providing comprehensive outplacement programs helps impacted employees find new opportunities much more quickly than if they are left to do it on their own.