NetworkNews | Network of Executive Women - Tools and Tips for Retail and CPG Executives

by Michael Carrillo

Another merger, another downsizing, another round of layoffs. Or maybe things just haven’t worked out. But regardless of why you’re parting company with a terminated employee, helping them find their next job is good human resources practice, good business, and almost always the right thing to do.

Being laid off is one of life’s biggest challenges and can send shock waves through your company, too. It impacts everyone around the terminated employee, including their co-workers, spouse and children.

Outplacement assistance eases the transition for both your company and the employee. And the true test of a program’s success is how quickly your employee finds new work.

Get them hired, fast!

Today most HR experts recognize that a majority of terminations are “no fault” separations. But whatever the reason -- the job doesn’t fit the employee, the employee doesn’t fit the organization, or there is a lack of suitable work -- there is no reason to part on bad terms with these employees.

A comprehensive outplacement program has several elements but one overriding goal – getting the employee hired. I recommend that companies hire an outside service provider to provide outplacements. Firms like Drake Beam Morin, Lee Hecht Harrison and RL Stevens & Associates, Inc. specialize in outplacement services and offer something you can’t – distance.

Disgruntled employees will often accept outplacement assistance from an outside source quicker than the company that’s just laid them off. Because HR departments are often associated with the termination process, a third-party offers a better environment for a fresh start.

I also recommend that companies use their outside recruitment resources to help the new candidate find work. The purpose of outplacement is to get your former employee hired fast. Outside resources -- CPGjoblist is just one -- can do this quickly and efficiently because it’s our business. We know the industry and we know what’s out there. Because of our wide range of contacts in the industry, we can help an employee’s job search get off to a running start. Getting the candidate real interviews and real leads is the best medicine there is. When it comes to outplacement, there’s really no substitute for a new job.

The benefits to you

Providing outplacement services offers a lot of value for little risk. It tells departing employees that you value them as a person, sending a powerful signal to remaining co-workers that your organization has a heart and you won’t leave them in the lurch.

Not offering outplacement services can lead to more than just hard feelings. Experts say that companies without outplacement plans often suffer higher rates of layoff pains such as lawsuits, bad publicity, vandalism, theft and higher workers comp and unemployment claims. The surest way to reduce these problems is getting your employees hired somewhere else as soon as possible.

Helping an employee write a good resume is just the beginning of an outplacement process that leads to the next job. A good outplacement program may also include skills assessment, interviewing and negotiation techniques and financial planning assistance.

Counseling is another service you may wish to offer. Departing candidates – and their spouses – may find the emotional going difficult at first. And don’t neglect spouses! In many cases the spouse may take the termination hardest – and be the one pushing for litigation.

Any employee who is qualified to work should qualify for your outplacement program. Arbitrarily excluding employees from your program could count against you in a legal proceeding. Make sure you publish your outplacement guidelines in your employee handbook and make sure you follow them to the letter.

But no outplacement program is successful if the departing employee doesn’t find work. The centerpiece of any outplacement program is getting the employee hired. A third-party candidate referral system like CPGjoblist is one of the quickest and most effective ways to transform your outplacement program from a bureaucratic process to a dynamic program that gets results.

Michael Carrillo is president of CPGjoblist, the CPG industry’s leading candidate referral system for HR professionals and employers. You may contact him at Michael@cpgjoblist.com or call (626) 398-5381.