In business, you will have to make painful but necessary decisions from time to time. One of the decisions that can be tough to make is laying off your employees. Whether you are laying them off due to cost-cutting measures or under-performance, it will evoke strong emotions in your HR department, the remaining employees, and the transitioning staff. With that said, as a responsible employer, you should take measures to control the emotions and ensure a peaceful exit for the transitioning workers. One way of doing this is using employment boost outplacement services
Employee outplacement refers to a group of services offered to transitioning employees to help them get over the pain of job loss. The services are aimed at helping the employees get new jobs within the shortest time possible. Employee outplacement services can be offered by your HR department or by third-party employment outplacement firms. The services offered include
- Helping the employees write a compelling resume and cover letter.
- Conducting expert analysis of the labor market.
- Equipping the employees with interview skills.
- Looking for new jobs for the employees.
- Helping the employees with salary negotiations.
Using employment outplacement services will obviously cost your business extra pennies. Considering the extra cost, you might convince yourself that severance pay is enough. However, employee outplacement is as essential as the severance package. The following are some of the benefits that your business will accrue by using employee outplacement services.
Helps maintain healthy relationships with former employees
Regardless of the circumstance surrounding the layoff, it is essential to ensure there is no bad blood between the transitioning employees and your business. Remember these are the same employees who fought with you in the trenches. They sacrificed their private obligations when customers were overflowing and tightened their belts when business was bad. They, therefore, deserve a dignified send-off. You have to show that you care about their needs and those of their families by helping them find an alternative source of income.
Maintaining a cordial relationship with former employees will help your business in many ways. First, you might find yourself needing a specific clarification from the former employees. Furthermore, it will prevent the transitioning employees from making revengeful moves against your business. For example, some of the employees know the ins and outs of your business. If they feel that you mistreated them, they can readily collaborate with competitors to floor your business.
Enhances the Reputation of Your Company
“Image is everything in business.” The line is often overused because of the weight of the truth it carries. The outgoing employees will be the ambassadors of your firm out there. If your business acquires the reputation of a company that is inconsiderate, your brand will suffer. Furthermore, resentful employees can deliberately soil your brand by revealing the dirty secrets of your firm. On the other side, if you give your employees a glorious send-off, your company will gain a good reputation. It will, therefore, be easy to attract new employees and customers.
Motivates the Remaining Employees
Laying off employees will leave a cloud of stress and uncertainty in your firm. First, the HR staff will find it hard to break the sad news to an employee who they meet every day along the corridors. The other employees might feel that you have mistreated their colleagues. They will also think that they are next in the layoff line. You might even find some of the employees applying for positions in other firms. The uncertainty and stress will reduce the productivity of the remaining workers. To avoid this, show the employees that you care about their future by helping the transitioning employees get another income stream.
Reduces Legal Battles and Unemployment Claims
Individuals who have been laid off from work and have not secured other jobs can request payments from the government in the form of unemployment compensation. The money to pay these claims is collected from employers as unemployment insurance tax. In a recent study, it was revealed that “if a company with a $1 million payroll avoids unemployment claims, it can reduce its expenditure by more than $70, 000.” One way of reducing unemployment claims is employee outplacement.
The Bottom Line
Laying off your employees in a considerate manner will benefit your business in numerous ways. They include enhancing the image of your firm and motivating the remaining workers. It is, therefore, essential for every company to include employee outplacement in their send-off packages
