Are Career Transition Services Necessary?
Are Career Transition Services Necessary?
When faced with the reality of layoffs for your employees, providing Career Transition services may not be what you think of first. You may even think of it as an unnecessary expense, but the decision as to whether to offer Career Transition services is noted by the separated employees, remaining employees, and the community at large. In an economy such as the one the United States is currently experiencing, the fear of finding a new position is very real. Easing those fears and offering guidance and a helping hand goes a long way in maintaining a company’s good reputation among employees, customers, and key stakeholders.
Choosing the right outplacement firm is essential. The right firm is your partner, working with and advising you from the beginning of the process through completion.
Questions for the Career Transition firm:
- How long have you offered Career Transition services?
- Have you worked in our industry?
- Have you designed a program for the number of employees that will be affected?
- What is your philosophy regarding employee separations and Career Transition services?
The beginning is developing the separation plan, with input from executives, managers, and human resources.
Questions for the organization:
- What is your rational for the terminations?
- What is your organization’s protocol?
- What factors are used in determining the employees to be terminated?
- What does success in the separations look like for all stakeholders?
When the separation plan is unveiled, support from the consultants is invaluable.
Questions for the Career Transition firm:
- How do you handle notification and communications?
- How do you handle behavioral/emotional issues or displays?
- What is included in debriefing management and remaining staff?
- When do you begin the counseling process with the separated employees?
The mix of services offered to separated employees depends on many factors, including number of employees, skill level, service length, and cost.
Questions for the organization:
- What programs should we offer in a group format?
- Will we offer individual counseling? For how long?
At Miles LeHane, we collaborate with organizations to provide tailored advice and outplacement programs for those unfortunate times when layoffs and terminations are unavoidable. We offer group and individual workshops and counseling, and our people are sensitive to each individual’s situation, whether the change is a result of restructuring business, change management, mergers, acquisitions, or redundancy situations.
