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Rebuilding Displaced Employees

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Layoffs and terminations are not something organizations take lightly and can be incredibly challenging. In “normal” times, reductions are strenuous for managers making these decisions. They’re complicated for remaining employees who are untangling its meaning to the organization’s future and their role within it. However, most importantly they’re especially tough for the displaced employees.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic and its economic wake, the hardship of a job loss as an involuntary disruptive life event is increased further for impacted employees.

In the present circumstance, taking measures to rebuild displaced employees’ confidence and sense of control, and find new positions quickly, has taken on greater importance. By doing so, the risks of overall negative outcomes can be mitigated throughout the process. The following steps can help organizations provide measurable support and value add to those employees who are joining the ranks of the millions unemployed during this historical time.

Offer Transition Services.

Offering career transition/outplacement services may be the single most valuable measure you can take to ensure the employee will rebuild after losing employment. Employees who take full advantage of career transition services find new employment easier, secure equal or greater compensation, reduce job search stress, and cope better with the emotional impact of layoff or termination—reducing overall negative emotion, as found in our research.

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Career transition services often include:
  • Individualized Guidance – A personal, one-on-one career coach helps employees work through a range of emotions after employment ends and supports career transition progress.
  • Personal Branding – Resume, cover-letter, and LinkedIn profile assistance in optimizing presentation of skills and experience to prospective employers.
  • Interview Coaching - Build confidence and best prepare for an interview within the target industries.
  • Job Search Assistance - Finding open positions in organizations matching displaced employees’ skills, expertise and values.
  • Financial Counseling - Consultation on budgetary issues while providing resources that help lessen the strain on personal finances
Offering a career transition benefit in addition to severance sends a clear message to remaining employees that the organization takes care of its people, even, and especially, in difficult times. Consequently, this will boost workplace morale and employee satisfaction while fortifying the employer brand for future workforce expansion.

Provide Ample Notice and Explanation.

Whenever possible, provide the employee with ample notice before an anticipated layoff. When employees have some time between notice that they are losing their job and their official last day, they have space to process this loss before it becomes a reality. This also allows them to get a head start on the job search and begin to think about how to manage their budget. It gives them a sense of control and improves their chances of success.

While many employers fear that providing notice will result in negativity permeating the organizational culture during notice periods, it often achieves the opposite. In fact, our research indicates providing advance notice and full explanation are two of the most significant actions to be taken to reduce negative emotions about an employer.

CT Survey Chart 004eProviding ample notice positively demonstrates commitment and transparency to all employees while affording impacted employees every opportunity to succeed.

Good two-way communication before, during, and after workforce reductions are critical. Notably, how departing employees are informed will impact the morale and trust in leadership, of the remaining employees, and those let go.

Waldron CPI’s Effective Manager Notification Meetings Guide can help in these vital communications. 

Invite an expert.

Engage a representative from a career transition services provider to be available after the notification conversation. A person-to-person introduction helps the displaced employee connect to the individual expert rather than a concept, thus increasing the odds the employee will utilize the service and presents a non-partial sounding board during the process. When the departing employee meets someone committed to supporting them and rebuilding their career, they are more likely to use career transition resources, and this results in better success landing a new job.

An organization's overall commitment to steadfastly supporting displaced employees protects their reputation as a brand and employer, increases trust and security for remaining employees, and allows the impacted employee to leave the organization with the support and resources needed to reclaim belief in themself and successfully secure their next job.

COVID-19 Note: 

During this pandemic, Waldron CPI is practicing the safest standards possible for our clients and coaches. Thus, we are currently conducting our overview of services as a webinar and providing person-to-person engagements via web meetings. We have been effectively practicing this way for years and are simply increasing utilization of these methods in this period.


About Waldron CPI Career Transition Services 

Waldron CPI views service support through two lenses: 1) the experience of impacted individuals using career transition services, and 2) the organization’s lens and the experience of HR team members and business leaders responsible for outplacement/career transition services. 

Waldron CPI’s career transition/outplacement services promise and deliver a high-touch, personalized experience for each employee and provide the best results:

  • 83% - Industry’s best percentage of landing at equal/greater compensation
  • +77 - Industry’s highest Net Promoter Score (NPS)
  • 30:1 - Industry’s best participant to career coach ratio
  • 2.73 Months – Industry's fastest average time to re-employment
  • 97% - Highly satisfied individual clients

Departing employees assess several alternatives for their next professional experience—including re-employment, flexible work arrangements, part-time or contract employment, consulting, entrepreneurial endeavors, or retirement.  

Contact us to learn about Waldron CPI’s industry-leading results. The results help organizations optimize return on investment in offering exceptional career transition services, including reduction-in-force (RIF) planning and manager notification training.