• “Will I have to pay anything?”
No, the company is sponsoring this program to assist you in this
transition. The program, therefore, comes to you at no cost.
• “When should I start in the program?”
If leaving the organisation soon – it is useful to start the program
quickly – say in the next couple of days. Timing is important as you
need to plan and prepare your approach to the employment market
in the best way possible. There is nothing less impressive than
being asked a question such as “what are you looking for” and not
knowing the answer.
If some time until leaving the organisation – it is often useful to
start the career planning ahead of your departure date as you can
Value
do some useful things now, while you are still in your role. Getting
started is also a positive and constructive thing you can do for your
own career management, and we will allow you some time to do this. Adding Value Adding
through Career Transition Through
• “How confidential is it?”
The organisation gets feedback but the outplacement consultant
Career Transition
only provides us with information to assure us you are using the
program. It is understood we don’t have access to anything
personal as that is between you and the outplacement consultant –
we don’t need to know.
AUDREY PAGE & ASSOCIATES
NEW SOUTH WALES VICTORIA QUEENSLAND SOUTH AUSTRALIA WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Level 4, Level 9, Level 9, Ground Floor, Level 15,
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Angel Place 45 William Street 300 Adelaide Street 162 Greenhill Road St Martins Towers
123 Pitt St Melbourne VIC 3000 Brisbane QLD 4000 Parkside SA 5063 44 St Georges Terrace,
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 02 9262 6711
Australia
Tel: 03 8614 8888
Australia
Tel: 07 3221 7388
Australia
Tel: 08 8357 3854
Perth WA 6000 Australia
Tel: 08 9421 1177 Why do HR practitioners use
Fax: 02 9262 6886 Fax: 03 8614 8866 Fax: 07 3221 8883 Fax: 08 8357 1811 Fax: 08 9225 7154
AUDREY PAGE & ASSOCIATES
Web: www.apage.com.au
AUDREY PAGE & ASSOCIATES Outplacement Services?
Why do HR practitioners use Outplacement Services? What will employees ask
you about outplacement?
As an HR Manager, you are usually in the frontline. You may have - Best Practice. Providing appropriate outplacement support is
been privy to, if not directly involved in, the decision of who stays broadly an industry standard and is considered one of the elements You can play a critical role in convincing others to use outplacement
and who goes; as well as responsible for detailing the terms and around “employer of choice” status. as part of their career transition strategy.
conditions of the redundancy. In all likelihood you have guided the line It is not unusual for staff to feel hesitant, even suspicious, of a program offered
- Reduces Stress. Outplacement support can relieve some of the
managers on how to best deliver the news and will probably be involved through the company that has just retrenched them. To assist in allaying their
pressure from HR. Partnering with an outplacement consultant
in delivering the news to the person(s) being affected as well as fears, providing answers to frequently asked questions can be useful.
means the retrenched individual starts to rely less on the HR
managing the communication with the rest of the team.
manager for answers. Commonly asked questions include:
From the feedback of our clients it is clear that outplacement support
- Peace of Mind. Outplacement support means the HR practitioner is
has a number of direct and indirect advantages for the HR practitioner. • “What is outplacement?”
kept up-to-date on the progress of departed staff. Many HR
Typically, some of the benefits include:
Managers genuinely feel for individuals leaving the business and For many people, an outplacement program provides the structure, time
- Diffusing the Anger. Negative emotions are often directed at HR want the best for them going forward. and encouragement for individuals to review their careers, possibly
people either on the day the news is delivered or some time later. consider new career directions, do some reinventing or simply undertake
- Remaining in the Loop. Outplacement consultants can keep HR in
Outplacement support can reduce the overall criticism of the a thorough stock take of their career to date.
the loop without much effort required of the HR Manager.
company and HR, as the outplacement consultant will be quick to
Outplacement is a process that equips individuals with superior career
- Message to Remaining Staff. Introducing an outplacement provider
limit such negative statements as it can disadvantage the
planning and job search skills to enable them to secure a career objective
demonstrates to those remaining that redundancies are being
individual’s job search prospects.
that complements their skill set, experience and career aspirations.
handled professionally and with the dignity and respect warranted.
- Sounding Board. HR can use the outplacement provider to talk
Encouraging participation in the outplacement program and early take-
through how they are feeling about the redundancies. Having
• “Will the outplacement consultant find me a job?”
up, facilitates both the organisation and the individuals exiting the
someone outside the business to debrief with can be useful for the
business to move on from the retrenchment. The outplacement consultant can help you in a variety of ways, including:
HR practitioner to maintain his/her professional demeanor
throughout the process. - confirming career objectives
- identifying strengths and key motivators
- Reduces the Risk of Litigation. The whole outplacement process
- tailoring an effective résumé and other job search documents
is developed around the concept of encouraging the retrenched
- building your interviewing confidence.
individual to look forward as they move through an outplacement
process, rather than letting possible anger fester. Outplacement consultants, however, are not recruiters and are unable
AUDREY PAGE & ASSOCIATES
to find you your next role.