Outplacement services: Factors that make quality programs for businesses of all sizes

It’s time for companies to dust off their outplacement services offerings and give them a good once-over to make sure they have what employees might need in the case of a reduction in force (RIF). Because as salaries climb to win the war on talent and the economy stares down a likely recession, companies are tightening their belts. And unfortunately, that means layoffs for many.

And it’s not just the little guys who are experiencing a RIF. Tesla, Shopify, Walmart, 7-Eleven, Ford, T-Mobile, Victoria’s Secret, loanDepot, GameStop, Twitter and Tonal are just a few giants of industry that are laying people off in 2022, according to Linkedin News.

Outplacement service programs

While no company wants to lay people off, they do want to help those who are let go by offering outplacement services.

These services are meant to help employees affected by a RIF transition back into the workforce. Not only is it good PR for employers – helping people they had to let go – it’s expected by internet-savvy employees.

Outplacement services include a wide range of services that help employees who were laid off find new jobs. According to INTOO’s Outplacement RFP guide, these services include:

• career coaching
• cover letter and resume building tools
• resume review and editing
• job interview practice and coaching
• career interests and skills assessment testing
• guides on career-related topics, such as networking tips and personal branding
• access to information and research about target companies, and
• social media profile optimization.

Quality outplacement services

But the quality of an outplacement services program isn’t just about the number of services offered; it’s about the quality of the services.

A great example of this is coaching. Offering “unlimited one-on-one coaching with an experienced career development specialist and hands-on resume reviews by a professional editor” is way more effective to a person who has lost their job than programs that offer a limited number of coaching sessions and general workshops, explains the outplacement services provider.

Consider this: A quality program is one that is customizable to the job seeker. That also means providing these services online.

If an employee who gets laid off has to go to a physical space to take classes or get coaching, it’s not really customizable. In today’s world, the services that can be offered online for the convenience of the user should be offered online.

Affordability

Outplacement services aren’t only for the industry giants who lay off hundreds or thousands of employees at once. Any size company can implement them without breaking the bank.

The key is to find providers that’ll offer scaled-down packages. Look for vendors that will let you customize the package you offer each individual, advises iHire. This allows employers to offer more services to employees who were tenured or upper management than employees who were there for a year or two or had entry-level positions. This way employers don’t have to compromise based on price. They can pick and choose the programs they want and need.

A small business in a local community wants to keep its positive reputation. Offering outplacement services can help businesses do just that.

Attraction and retention tool

Being laid off can be scary, especially if the employee has been with the company for a long time. Making this transition from employed to unemployed as easy and as gentle as possible for former employees is the right thing to do.

It also shows employees who’ve been retained that their employer truly cares about all their employees, even those who lost their jobs, by helping them land on their feet.

Showing compassion as a company makes people want to work for them.