How an outplacement provider can protect your brand
August 01, 2024 by Elizabeth Openshaw
It’s never a great feeling when you have to lay off employees. You know it’s going to hit them hard in many areas, including financially, emotionally, and with their confidence levels, which might drop considerably. All of this negativity can be made even worse if the process is handled badly, or an outplacement provider isn’t employed to help the situation.
By using the services of an outplacement provider, not only can you ensure proper planning and preparation throughout the process, you can be safe in the knowledge that your company’s brand will be protected during these stressful times.
This article will detail the ways in which your brand can be safeguarded by using a reputable outplacement provider during a period of turmoil within your business with regard to redundancies.
How outplacement services can preserve your brand
We know that outplacement is a good option for departing employees, because it guides and supports them through the redundancy process, getting them back into work in a new position as swiftly as possible, and turning a bad situation into a good one.
But what about your company? You don’t want to be viewed as the bad guy in all of this. That’s where an outplacement provider can also help.
Being forced to make redundancies, no matter what the reason, can leave a nasty taste in the mouth of any impacted employees, as well as those who are remaining at the company. By showing both of these sets of employees that if the worst should happen, they will be offered a tailor-made service to get them through their career transition and out the other side with a new role, you should assuage any fears they may have for the future.
Combining this support with a competitive redundancy package can go a long way to protecting your brand, as it shows you have the best interests of your employees at heart. Not only are you providing them with a lump sum to help smooth out the financial burden, you’re also offering them a way forward, to get them back on their feet and, ultimately, back into work.
This sincere effort in helping all of your staff, from the departing to the remaining members, will help protect your reputation online – especially on sites like Glassdoor and LinkedIn, where future talent will likely head before applying to your organisation.
Preserving your internal reputation
After a clutch of redundancies, chances are those members of staff who are staying could become a bit jittery about what the future holds. Will I be next on the list? What can I do? Is the company folding? These questions will likely be swirling around the minds of current employees – and that’s perfectly normal.
By offering outplacement services, they will be reassured that their future is in safe hands, should the same happen to them, and that the company doesn’t view them as just a cog in a wheel but as fellow workers and friends.
The outplacement provider’s impact on survivors maintains that internal reputation, allowing you to make those tough business decisions while retaining the trust and faith of your workers.
The benefit of outplacement: putting people first
Many organisations still believe that outplacement providers are only good for one thing – tidying up the mess of redundancies – and therefore should only be thought about when redundancies take place.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
If the last few years have taught the business world anything, it’s that disruptors, such as a financial downturn or a pandemic, can change the whole landscape completely, leaving people out of work faster than the speed of light.
Simultaneously, workers are now more empowered to choose which companies to work for. So outplacement is like an insurance policy, should there be a worst case scenario, to ensure employees’ future success.
Employing the services of an outplacement provider early, such as Careerminds (which doesn’t charge retainer fees), can be viewed as a HR benefit. When onboarding new staff, this service can be highlighted and fully explained, showing your company in a good light as a people-first organisation.
Summing up how outplacement providers protect your reputation
Outplacement providers help you maintain your reputation, both internally and externally, by providing staff with the tools they need to exit your company successfully and with no hard feelings.
- Internally, outplacement can be seen as a benefit, like an insurance
- Externally, outplacement can deflect any impacted employees from tarnishing your brand by posting negative comments on sites such as Glassdoor
- It reflects that your company places people as the priority
Connect with an expert today, and take a look at what Careerminds can offer you, your company, and your employees.
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