As a business owner, you understand that your customers are the heart of your business, and it only takes one bad customer experience to overshadow your brand and negatively impact your business.  But have you ever thought about the impact that employees, whether they are past, present, or future have on your success?

Sure, you may hold a company picnic or holiday party once a year, run contests, have an employee-of-the-month program, and/or offer employee discounts as perks to employment, but what are you doing for the employees who are departing from your business?

Chances are, your answer is the same as many other businesses, “Nothing”.

You’ve spent thousands of dollars recruiting, hiring, training, promoting, and working to retain your employees and now you are in a position where your business needs are changing and you need to depart staff that you have invested in.

There is no changing the fact that you need to depart staff, but are you willing to just let your investment walk out the door with nothing to show for it but a few disgruntled employees? Or would you rather maximize the opportunity to redefine change and continue to build your brand by building brand ambassadors?

With your brand reputation on the line, most employers would seek out the opportunity to learn more about the latter. The most overlooked and underutilized opportunity businesses have to turn downsizing into an opportunity to build business is Outplacement services.

Outplacement services are provided by employers through a third-party organization to displaced staff in order to help the employee land in a new job quickly.  This service is in addition to employment costs at the time of termination. Some employers have a hard time wrapping their head around investing in an employee who is departing, especially because they may be doing this in an effort to cut costs. This is the main reason why Outplacement services are often overlooked, and it’s one of the biggest mistakes that a business can make.

Here’s why it’s important for employers to close the loop and protect their investments, by continuing to care for their employees during their departure.

It is an opportunity to protect your brand and reputation.  Outplacement services helps employers protect their brand by demonstrating to existing employees that you care about your staff even when you are departing an employee. It’s a competitive world, and we know how quickly one unhappy customer can turn into many, the same goes for departing employees. Outplacement services provide you the opportunity to be proactive in protecting your brand by minimizing the impact of employee damages as a result of termination. Also, you demonstrate to your customers and stakeholders that you are brand worth backing.

Termination can be difficult. Outplacement services can reduce stress and emotional impact on all parties including the employer, remaining employees, and departing employees. Our professionals offer on-site outplacement assistance and coaching to ensure a safe and secure departure of employees and support remaining staff.

Mitigate risk. Outplacement can reduce the cost of unemployment compensation and severance, not to mention salary and benefit continuance can be greatly reduced by helping an employee get a new pay cheque faster.

Outplacement also helps mitigate damages to the company by helping the employee obtain employment or a new career direction as quickly as possible. It helps the transitioning employees to:

  • Better understand the business reasons for the company’s decisions
  • Vent their angry feelings in a consultant’s office rather than within their network of friends, co-workers, and company clients
  • Keep their focus on the future and shift it away from possible expensive lawsuits against the employer

Improve your future hiring influence. That’s right. You may be departing an employee but chances are you may have a position to fill in the future. Including Outplacement services as part of your benefit package offerings increases your competitive advantage for attracting high-talent employees by becoming a brand that is well-respected in the local market. 

Offboarding is not the end of the employer/employee relationship, but rather a shift into a new relationship – it is a special opportunity to redefine change to shape your new relationship and protect your business.

Are you willing to let your investment walk out the door? Or will you take the next step to redefine change and create a brand ambassador?

Change happens – and when it does let us help you redefine it.

Contact us today for a free business consultation.

 

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