3 reasons why you should offer outplacement to departing staff

Offering outplacement to those staff impacted by redundancy isn’t just the right or nice thing to do, it also has many benefits for the organisation as a whole.  While there are many more reasons than the three we mention below, these are what we consider our top three reasons why you should offer outplacement support to departing staff.

1. Gives departing staff a head start – perhaps the most obvious, by offering outplacement support to departing staff you are giving them the best chance in securing a new role. The help, support, and guidance of an outplacement programme will give focus and structure to any job search and put your departing staff in the best position to secure a new role and to do so quickly.
2. Brand values and reputation– many organisations have company values revolving around treating people fairly and with respect. Offering outplacement to those staff you’re letting go is a very visible sign that a company is living up to its values, even under difficult circumstances. Companies spend millions on their brand, on marketing it, and building their reputation.  These reputations can take just seconds to ruin if a redundancy process is handled badly, as a number of high-profile cases such as P&O ferries have shown over the past few years.
3. Helps maintain engagement and productivity – in order to receive redundancy payments people may need to work until the end of the process, this could be three months or even six.  That is a lot of time for office chatter to be about people’s struggles to find a new role or concerns about the future. This will all have a detrimental effect, not only on the work being produced by those going but also by the staff that are remaining.  By taking away the worry and helping people find a job or assess their financial options, it will reduce the negative chatter and help to maintain the equilibrium.

While we said these were our top three reasons you also can’t forget those employees that are lucky enough to stay.  Seeing their colleagues being treated fairly and given the help they need, reinstates the respect and trust they had in you, as an employer.

If you are making redundancies and would like to find out more about our outplacement portfolio, please do get in touch.