Outplacement builds good name for firms

Outplacement services, as defined by Lee Hecht Harrison Vietnam’s managing partner Gary Malcolm, are designed to guide stakeholders through the process of redundancy. Such packages are aimed to benefit the company management, impacted employees, as well as their non-impacted colleagues.

The redundancy process is often difficult and expensive for firms. Outplacement services can help minimise these challenges and maintain a good relationship between the company and its former employees.

Businesses offer outplacement because they know it’s the right thing to do. It displays their commitment to fulfilling corporate responsibility to impacted employees. Treating employees the right way throughout the entire employment experience, from the very beginning to the very end, can be viewed as one distinctive hallmark of a progressive organisation.

Besides the matter of business ethics, outplacement services also promote the firm’s image in front of its clients, potential employees and the general public. This is particularly important as today’s workforce becomes smaller and more flexible.

“In any of these situations, you want your former employees saying what a great place your organisation was to work at. Conversely, a negative termination experience could disrupt your hiring efforts. Your employees will be your excellent employer brand ambassadors,” Malcolm stressed.

Finally, after an unexpected downsizing or restructuring event, remaining employees may feel disheartened, irritated, and worried about their future at the firm. This can affect their motivation and dedication to the company, as well as their productivity. Outplacement services thus act like a safety net for current employees, ensuring that should the worst happen, there is always a team of helpful, friendly professionals to support them.

Lee Hecht Harrison, a unit of world-leading employment services firm Adecco, provides career and leadership consultancy through more than 350 offices in 60 countries around the globe. The company combines innovation and talent management expertise to connect people to jobs and improve performance through its extensive services in career and leadership development, outplacement, and executive coaching.