Redundancy is an unfortunate feature of modern working life. It\u2019s now\u00a0commonplace and something that increasing numbers of employees can\u00a0expect to experience as businesses continually change and adapt. That\u00a0said, the impact of redundancy on an individual remains significant and\u00a0is still considered a taboo subject that employees often choose to hide,\u00a0rather than discuss.<\/p>\n
Immediate concerns around financial security are a natural reaction for individuals affected by\u00a0redundancy. Equally however, people can be impacted by deeper emotional challenges surrounding\u00a0self-perception, self-confidence and how others will perceive them; all of which can significantly\u00a0impact on an individual\u2019s ability to successfully move forward. People worry over their skills and future\u00a0employability, and feelings of isolation are not uncommon as their status, community and sense of\u00a0belonging are stripped away.<\/p>\n
Many employers understand the personal impact of redundancy and proactively look to support their\u00a0employees by making services such as \u2018outplacement support\u2019 available to them. They see it as part\u00a0of their corporate social responsibility towards loyal employees; ensuring that the challenges that lie\u00a0ahead are mitigated to a degree. They also understand that investing in this type of support accrues additional organisational benefits.<\/p>\n
Every employer should be concerned about what their employees are saying about them, particularly\u00a0those who leave as a result of redundancy. The prominence of sites such as Glassdoor are hugely influential on an\u00a0organisation\u2019s ability to attract future talent, and, given that prospective employees are concerned with\u00a0how they will be treated by a future employer, any negative reviews from disgruntled employees who\u00a0feel they have not been supported could be decisive. It’s a simple question: what do you want your employees (current and former) to say about your organisation?<\/p>\n
A key measure to successful change is the impact on productivity. Demonstrating to others in the\u00a0business that impacted colleagues are being supported can actually help to boost productivity and\u00a0engagement, as fears about their own futures and how colleagues are being treated are allayed, allowing\u00a0them to focus fully on their roles.<\/p>\n
Not only does providing outplacement support to impacted employees enhance an organisation\u2019s reputation, it can also prevent\u00a0other talent from walking out the door.<\/p>\n
Along with a clear communication plan, visibly demonstrating that the organisation is assisting those whose roles may no longer exist sends a positive message that employees are valued. And let’s face it,\u00a0in a buoyant job market, good people are in short\u00a0supply\u00a0so any unnecessary loss of talent and highly sought after skills will ultimately impact on an\u00a0organisation\u2019s performance and ability to service customers.<\/p>\n
When employees feel that they are treated fairly and are being supported through redundancy, they\u00a0are more likely to remain good corporate citizens during their final few weeks and months; supporting\u00a0the transfer of projects or with customer handovers. Furthermore, and highly relevant for consumer\u00a0brands, they are more likely to remain advocates and customers of your brand if they feel that the\u00a0organisation has done everything in its power to make their exit a painless one\u00a0by proactively helping them to find future employment.<\/p>\n
Providing meaningful outplacement support to redundant employees encourages them to look to the\u00a0future and channel their emotions into positive actions, which left unaddressed, could pose a problem\u00a0further down the line as individuals struggle to adapt to their new reality and look to apportion blame.<\/p>\n
Fundamentally, offering outplacement support to employees affected by redundancy is the right thing\u00a0to do. Aside from the emotional and financial impact, the reality is that the employment market is\u00a0changing at breakneck speed. Jobs are changing: skills that were considered niche five years ago are\u00a0now mainstream, whilst others are becoming redundant.\u00a0And finding roles is more complex. Yes it is true that the abundance of complex algorithm backed technology ensures that individuals are aware of every vacancy that\u00a0matches their skills, however, it also adds to the pressure by creating a false sense of effectiveness. Add all this together and it is no wonder that\u00a0redundancy remains one of the most stressful experiences an individual might have to deal with. As employers it’s our responsibility to ensure those leaving our organisations are set up for future success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Redundancy may be an unfortunate consequence of modern business, but what departing employees say about your organisation is not. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8347,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[70,71,53,56,72,73],"class_list":["post-8340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cat-blog","tag-career-transition","tag-careers","tag-change","tag-hr","tag-outplacement","tag-redundancy"],"yoast_head":"\n