Outplacement: Programmed or assisted dismissal, to search for a new job or redirect to a new professional activity on their own.
Introduction
Organizations motivated by different reasons, among which we can mention:
to. The need to restructure their organizations.
b. The need to cut expenses.
c. The need to improve your efficiency levels,
They carry out actions to reduce their size, using processes such as downsizing and using Outplacement programs as a tool.
For the purposes of being able to treat the subject matter of this article, I must briefly expose the corresponding definitions:
Downsizing: Process by which a company is restructured reducing its size to improve its efficiency and / or reduce costs.
Outplacement: Programmed or assisted dismissal, to search for a new job or redirect to a new professional activity on their own.
Why Outplacement?
If we ask ourselves as entrepreneurs, managers or civil servants why should I resort to assisted redundancy when I am going to make a staff reduction in my company, I must first think that those who make my organization work are coincidentally the workers, and that, in the moment of separation and subsequently, the company will be exposed to the concept that is formed with respect to its image, not only those who cease but also those who remain in it, the same ones who will also have attitudes congruent with the perception they have of the process of disengagement, that is, our position and actions must be governed by a humanistic concept.
To do this, the intervention, which is generally carried out by specialized consultants, is carried out with great care and planning, from the determination of the personnel to be dismissed, to monitoring the personnel who remain in the company and the establishment of a door policy open to ensure no loose ends and concerns are addressed.
How does Outplacement work?
For practical purposes we will divide the Outplacement interventions into two:
1. In relation to unemployed workers.
2. In relation to the workers who remain in the organization.
| Unemployed Workers | Workers who stay |
| 1.1. Preparation of lists of personnel involved and benefit packages. | 2.1. Communication to be issued on the day of separation. |
| 1.2. Preparation for the separation meeting. | 2.2. How should "those who stay" treat "those who leave"? |
| 1.3. Conduct of the termination meeting. | 2.3. Communication with the working groups. |
| 1.4. Type of reactions of workers to be dismissed and how to deal with them. | 2.4. Post-termination follow-up. |
| 1.5. Expected questions and suggested answers. | 2.5. Open door policy. |
| 1.6. Career Decision Workshop. | 2.6. |
| 1.7. Advice for relocation or start of own business. | 2.7. |
It is expected, as a result of an adequate handling of this process, to avoid that it is traumatic for both groups of workers, in such a way as to ensure a productivity that is least affected and a rapid recovery of its levels.
To exemplify some responsibilities of the process we can mention:
to. Employees to be terminated (List, Critical Cases, etc)
b. Legal Aspects (eg Communications to Labor Authorities, Dismissal Contracts by Mutual Agreement, etc)
c. Personal File (Settlement Sheet, Benefits Package, etc)
d. Security (Access to equipment, applications and databases; Communication of the list to those in charge of Security, etc.)
and. Training (To the interviewers or notifiers; to the Heads, etc)
F. Disengagement Announcement (Determination of places, Delivery of positions, etc.)
g. Those who stay (Meetings with working groups, strategies, etc.)
Having participated in an Outplacement experience by merger in 1994 in an Insurance Company in my country allows me to assert that today more than ever, and within the financial possibilities of any organization forced to a drastic reduction of personnel, it should be sought adequate advice for this stage of changes in your company.
