Support Your People and Protect Your Corporate Brand and Reputation
If your company is facing restructuring or a reduction in workforce, it’s an opportunity to prove your commitment to your people and protect your reputation and corporate brand. By offering outplacement services, you demonstrate that you value both those who are leaving and those who remain, while also safeguarding your brand in the process. According to a study from Intoo, 83% of Americans say it would improve their opinion of the company if an employer offered outplacement services to laid-off employees.
Outplacement services can look like many different things. They can include career coaching, resume resources, interview preparation, and access to networking opportunities. These services not only equip departing employees with the tools they need to find new opportunities but also help maintain morale among your remaining staff.
When you hire an employee, you’re both making a commitment to each other for long-term success. As the employer, you provide the employee with financial security, healthcare, career development, a professional network, and an opportunity to make a difference in your industry. In turn, your employee performs tasks to help keep your organization running successfully. Whether you or the employee terminate this commitment, there’s a level of respect both parties should uphold!
Employees generally follow the rule of giving at least two weeks’ notice. Some employees will offer to help train their replacement or stay on part-time to ease the transition.
As an employer, should you terminate an employee, providing outplacement services to ease the unexpected transition is not just the “right thing to do” — it is vital to protecting your remaining workforce and your reputation. With the rise of the viral layoff, terminated employees’ experiences in leaving your organization can put your reputation on the line, now more than ever.
Impact on Employees
Take a moment to think of a time when you or a loved one lost a job and how that felt. It can even be a moment when you simply thought your job was on the line. The emotions going through your head are likely along the lines of panic, stress, fear for the future, uncertainty, and more. Losing a job takes a toll on anyone, and it can also cause problems for the family — finances, health insurance, and career goals are all on the line. This stress can lead to anxiety and general disruption of your life, while also raising the question of, “Can I afford next month’s mortgage?”
Outplacement services can act as a safety net. With severance packages, coaching, resume help, networking opportunities, and more, your terminated or laid-off employees will have the tools to help them find their next role quickly and with minimized stress.
Additionally, the emotional support from career coaches and the sense of being cared for by their former employer, your organization, can help to significantly reduce the feelings of isolation and despair that can often come along with job loss. Outplacement services help employees transition with dignity, ensuring they feel valued and supported as they move on to the next chapter of their careers, despite not continuing with your team.
Impact on Corporate Brand and Reputation
The importance of ethical layoffs for a company’s brand reputation cannot be overstated. “Ethical layoffs” prioritize transparency, empathy, fairness, and respect for affected employees, ensuring that even in difficult times, the company upholds its values and shows respect for the people who made their work possible. By communicating openly and clearly, providing support resources such as outplacement services, and applying fair decision-making criteria, organizations demonstrate their commitment to doing right by their employees. This approach not only preserves the dignity and humanity of those impacted but also sends a powerful message to your remaining staff, customers, and the broader public that the company values integrity and its people, even when you can no longer employ them. Handling layoffs ethically can protect and even enhance the company’s reputation, fostering trust and goodwill that can last long after the immediate challenges have passed.
While layoffs rarely have good press, let’s take a look at an example of a layoff done well: Airbnb in late 2020. After determining that travel was no longer the same as it was pre-pandemic, and with uncertainty for its return and at what scale, CEO Brian Chesky released a statement detailing the reason for the layoff, how decisions would be made regarding which team members would no longer work for the company, along with how Airbnb would support those team members during this transition.
Here are some of the things Airbnb did to do right by their employees:
- Clearly communicated their respect for the team as well as the reason for the layoffs.
- Offered comprehensive support with things like helping with their job search, continuing their healthcare plan for a full 12 months, allowing them to keep their company laptops to aid in their search for a new role, generous severance, and more.
- Outlined a plan for how the business would move forward with its new, smaller workforce.
- Acknowledged the hard work and contributions to the company from every team member, not just the ones who were staying.
- Explained continued commitment to their core values and an ethical organization by continued prioritization of diversity, fairness, and transparency.
Airbnb’s 2020 layoff went down in talent management history as a standard for ethically reducing their workforce. While terminating any employee can cast a negative light on an organization, doing their due diligence to support the entire company with transparency and empathy reinforced their standing as a reputable organization.
The Bottom Line
Outplacement services are not just a compassionate gesture—they are a strategic investment in both your people and your company’s corporate brand and reputation. By providing comprehensive support to those affected by layoffs, you demonstrate that you value all your employees, protect your brand’s integrity, and maintain trust with your remaining workforce and the public. In an era where the treatment of departing employees is more visible than ever, offering outplacement services ensures that your organization handles tough transitions with dignity, empathy, and a commitment to doing what’s right.
If your organization is in need of outplacement services, learn more about how we can support your people here. Remember: layoffs can be unpredicted and due to unprecedented circumstances. Don’t wait until you’re in the midst of crisis and equip your organization with a strong outplacement service provider today!