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Managing Outplacement Most of us have been affected by redundancy in some way, either personally or through someone close to us. For some it can be one of the most stressful life experiences. It is extremely easy and sometimes natural to question your own self worth and it can dent your confidence and motivation levels. It can be daunting for some to face the change ahead and for those that have not faced the perils of the job market, it can intimidating to say the least. Providing outplacement support, however, can alleviate some of the stress and help people to plan for the future. Typically management view the provision of outplacement services as a benevolent act to assist former employees find another position and move on with their lives, and whilst this is a major objective of an outplacement programme, there are more rational reasons to ensure that proper outplacement support is provided to former employees. Outplacement is more that finding a new job. It is about helping all parties to effectively move through a time of major trauma in a managed and supportive environment, thereby minimising immediate risks and maximising future opportunities. But there are common pitfalls to avoid when handling an outplacement project. Outplacement is frequently seen as a distress purchase and appointing a supplier is often left until the last minute. Managers can feel vulnerable if not properly trained to deliver tough messages (“you are staying”; “you are going”). There is also the risk that, while you are focusing on the leavers, personnel who are staying are neglected and the very group on which the future of your organisation depends can become disillusioned, creating a phenomenon commonly known as “survivors’ syndrome”. The almost inevitable “survivors’ syndrome” that results gives rise to four clearly defined stages: relief (“thank God it’s not me”); guilt (“did I really deserve to keep my job?”); envy (“that’s a huge severance settlement, I wish I’d left”); and, lastly, resentment (“I’m sick of doing all this extra work for the same pay – this company has gone down the pan”). There is a huge emphasis on HR and management within the organisation to avoid resentment kicking in and central to all this is providing survivors with just as much attention and support as those leaving, and equipping managers with the ability to communicate consistently and openly about the changes in a way that also enables them to empathise with and address survivors’ concerns. As for those leaving the organisation, it has been demonstrated that outplacement services are better outsourced to an experienced provider. The benefits of external outplacement support are numerous. It leaves those involved in implementing the redundancies free to concentrate on the future of the business as well as ensuring day-to-day productivity during the project. It helps to enhance the employer brand by showing that the organisation is a supportive employer and could increase shareholder value through successful planning. For the individuals directly affected, outplacement can be a chance to reassess the situation and consider their options. Working with an outplacement provider affords them an unbiased ear – someone who’s focused on helping them to achieve their objectives and who has the relevant information and advice at their fingertips. Involving the outplacement provider at the early stages of the process has it benefits. From the organisation’s viewpoint, early involvement means that trust and understanding are developed, which increases confidence in the process and helps to “sell” the service to the affected staff. Understanding the decision from an organisational perspective can help the outplacement consultant to objectify the situation for people and help them to move forward more quickly. Choosing the right outplacement provider for your organisation depends on your objectives. There are a number of qualities that all companies should look for. These include credibility and reputation, competence, communication, an accurate and reliable service, responsiveness and individual client care. It is economically critical to most people that they transition as quickly and smoothly into a new role. Therefore, increasingly those outplacement providers who also operate in the recruitment market have a unique position and can offer those affected employees with sound labour market information and offer direct access to job opportunities they have with other existing clients. Liz Torrans is Strategic Account Director with Grafton ESP. Grafton ESP is the HR specialism division of the Grafton Employment Group delivering customised HR services that enhance clients’ bottom line. For more information on any of the above please contact Grafton ESP by phone on 028 9055 6350, online at www.graftonesp.com or by email . The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute professional or other advice. HR Optimisation and Re-engineering An audit/review of specific HR policies and procedures can result in a streamlining of processes that have a positive effect on both efficiency and effectiveness measures, along with the potential to positively impact upon psychological contract issues, e.g. employee morale, motivation, attendance and turnover. The content of this article is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute professional or other advice. 'Key Components of Performance Management' Performance management is the systematic process of managing people, improving effectiveness and achieving organisational aims and goals. Employee performance management includes: Planning includes setting performance expectations and goals for teams and individuals to channel their efforts toward achieving organisational objectives. Getting employees involved in the planning process will help them understand the goals of the organisation, what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and how well it should be done. Performance elements and standards should be measurable, understandable, verifiable, equitable, and achievable. Through critical tasks and defined outputs, employees are held accountable as individuals for work assignments or responsibilities. Monitoring well means consistently measuring performance and providing ongoing feedback to employees and teams on their progress toward reaching their goals. In an effective organisation, employee developmental needs are evaluated and addressed. This results in increasing the capacity to perform through training, giving assignments that introduce new skills or higher levels of responsibility or improving work processes. Providing employees with training and developmental opportunities encourages good performance, strengthens job-related skills and competencies, and helps employees keep up with changes in the workplace, such as the introduction of new technology. Carrying out the processes of performance management provides an excellent opportunity to identify developmental needs. During planning and monitoring of work, deficiencies in performance become evident and can be addressed. Areas for improving good performance also stand out, and action can be taken to help successful employees improve even further. Within the context of formal performance appraisal requirements, rating means evaluating employee or team performance against the outputs and standards in an employee’s performance plan and assigning a summary rating or score, which is based on work performed during an entire appraisal period. Rewarding means recognising employees, individually and as teams, for their performance and acknowledging their contributions towards organisational goals. Recognition is an ongoing, natural part of day-to-day experience. A lot of the actions that reward good performance — like saying “Thank you” go along way in strengthening the psychological contract. Managers and employees have been practising good performance management naturally all their lives, executing each key component process well. Goals are set and work is planned routinely. Progress toward those goals is measured and employees get feedback. High standards are set, but care is also taken to develop the skills needed to reach them. Formal and informal rewards are used to recognise the behaviour and results that accomplish organisational achievement. All five component processes working together and supporting each other achieve natural, effective performance management. Liz Torrans is Strategic Account Director with Grafton ESP. Grafton ESP is the HR specialism division of the Grafton Employment Group delivering customised HR services that enhance clients’ bottom line. For more information on any of the above please contact Grafton ESP by phone on 028 9055 6350, online at http://www.graftonesp.com/ or by email . Playing Fair - How to Address the Inequality of Salaries within your Workforce In the last 5 to 10 years, salaries at a middle and senior management level in Northern Ireland have progressively increased. The power to negotiate higher reward packages was in the hands of the employee (prospective or otherwise) and as a result organisations now find they have a number of employees with salaries higher than the market norm. Conversely, today with the shift in the labour market, the negotiating power has shifted to the employer. According to the Office of National Statistics, the unemployment rate in the UK for October to December 2009 was 7.8 per cent. The number of people unemployed for more than 12 months increased by 37,000 over the quarter to reach 663,000, the highest figure since the three months to September 1997. Coupled with this is the transformation of the pay and reward structures with many organisations implementing pay freezes or cuts, as represented below. Company actions since the start of 2009 in relation to pay by job category:
This current environment has transformed the working landscape with an abundance of candidates for a limited number of jobs, and with the drive to reduce costs and efficiencies it is no surprise that new entrants into an organisation are being offered (and willingly accepting) less lucrative packages. In a recent pan European survey conducted by the Grafton Employment Group, we found 74.2% of candidates are open to being more flexible in terms of starting wage in comparison to their previous job search. In undertaking such an exercise organisations should adopt the following approach: • Review current salaries Having established a clear policy on pay and reward, organisations must commit to communicating this to all staff and line management. Staff affected must be made aware that whilst others may benefit from a salary increase their pay may be maintained at the same level until parity is resorted. In addition efforts must be made to ensure line management do not operate outside the policy. Clearly to undertake such an initiative will be fraught with resistance and as such requires buy in from the most senior level, however, failure to address such a fundamental issue could have wider long term issues for employee moral and equal pay claims. Liz Torrans is Strategic Account Director with Grafton ESP. Grafton ESP is the HR specialism division of the Grafton Employment Group delivering customised HR services that enhance clients’ bottom line. For more information on any of the above please contact Grafton ESP by phone on 028 9055 6350, online at http://www.graftonesp.com/ or by email . The Balancing Act How can SMEs balance the growing requirements of employment legislation and the demands of the business? For most SMEs the thought of facing an industrial tribunal can be a real nightmare. Yet with some planning and adopting good practice it is possible to sleep easier. As a busy manager it is difficult to keep up to pace with all the changes in employment legislation especially if you don’t have on-site HR, or legal support. Lets face it, this can be one of those activities on the ‘to do’ list which often slips to the bottom of your priorities. Employment legislation is an area that you ignore at your peril, with legal fees, collation of discovery documentation, time away from work, negative publicity and the potential for a financial settlement, which could be a real drain on the business. One way SMEs can protect themselves is to develop standard procedures in line with legislation to either avoid difficult situations arising or help resolve them at source. 7 Key Actions to help with your balancing act: Having policies in place may not remove the chance of an employment claim being taken, however, it will ensure you have a valuable defence should a claim arise and may mitigate your liability and associated costs in such an event. |
