Choosing an Outplacement Firm
During these tough economic times, companies – both big and small – are experiencing downsizes, reductions in force, and layoffs.
Lay offs are a difficult and straining process for both the company and the employee. To help make the transition process easier for all parties, more and more companies are choosing to offer outplacement services to their departing employees.
The bottom line is that outplacement pays for itself through the positive, tangible and intangible benefits it yields. Here are just a few reasons to provide outplacement:
1. Builds good will with your departing employees and upholds your company’s reputation
2. Helps your impacted employees take a successful next step
3. Reduces costs from employee lawsuits and liabilities
4. Boosts morale and retention of remaining employees
5. Supports managers in delivering difficult messages
Deciding to deliver outplacement is the easy step. Choosing an outplacement firm is a little more complex. When making the decision, there are several over-arching themes that you want to consider:
• Credentials. It’s important that your employees in transition work with qualified and accomplished consultants who posses advanced degrees as well as experience in human resources, counseling, and business. It’s a huge plus if the company is recognized in the media as a trusted career source and if the company has a solid foundation in the human resources industry.
• Services. This is the hallmark of the outplacement package. Find out if the firm offers individual services or group workshops. Of course, the more hands-on and the more one-on-one services, the better. Making a career transition is a difficult and complex process, and each person needs a specific and individualized plan. Shy away from firms who seem to offer a cookie-cutter approach.
• Flexibility. Discover if all employees must go into an office to complete the services, or if they have the option of conducting some consultations remotely. Look for firms with less overhead and bureaucracy that can customize packages to best fit the needs of your company and your impacted employees.
• Results. Obviously, you want your departing employees to have a positive experience, to be engaged, and to be placed quickly. Ask for the company’s engagement rates and customer satisfaction statistics to find our more about their results and success stories.
• Costs. Of course, you want the highest value for your investment. Some outplacement firms charge by time period no matter how many services are used. Firms priced by service usually deliver more value for your employees. There are even some firms that only charge for services rendered which usually reaps the highest ROI.
While considering these themes, ask your prospects the following questions to help you pinpoint which outplacement company is the right fit. Here are a few questions you can ask:
1. What are the credentials of the consultants who will work with our employees? Do you specialize in a certain field or industry?
2. How much one-on-one work do our employees receive? Is it mostly group workshops or hands-on help?
3. Do you write the resumes for our employees? What does the career coaching service entail?
4. Do our employees work with the same consultant throughout the process? How many candidates does each of your consultants work with?
5. Do you give our departing employees advice on how to use online job boards and social media networks in the job search?
6. What is the cost? How does the payment process work? Do we have to pay for all employees upfront, even if they don’t use the service? Do you base your prices on the services or a time period?
7. Are you able to accommodate people anywhere in the country? Do our employees have to visit a physical location to use the outplacement services, or can they conduct consultations over the phone?
8. What is the engagement rate of past clients? How do you engage our impacted employees in your program? What’s your reach out process?
9. What makes you different than other outplacement firms?
10. Why would my company want to choose your outplacement firm? Why would our employees be happy we chose you as our outplacement firm?
Finally, your conversations and experience with the outplacement firm during the fact-finding stage should give you clues on which company is right for you. No matter how big or small your company is, you should receive amazing customer service, diligent responses, and stellar follow through.
http://jobbound.com/for-organizations/employee-transition-services










