IN THE NEWS | Outplacement is Key to Corporate Wellbeing
Featured in Manage HR Magazine – Annual listing of the top 10 Outplacement Providers in APAC – August 2022
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The current tight candidate market across the globe highlights the value of tailored outplacement services for the long-term wellbeing of organisations, even if they are downsizing.
Oxford Languages defines outplacement as providing “assistance to redundant employees in finding new employment, either as a benefit provided by the employer directly or through a specialist service”.
“56% of redundant employees who receive outplacement are supportive of their previous employer. Furthermore, a staggering 73% would return for the right role and are more likely to talk fondly of their former employer, which is valuable in a tight labour market,” explains Michael Boyd, Founder and Director of HR specialist Career Crossroads International.
“Successful and tailored outplacement processes not only support the well-being of departing employee/s, it builds goodwill in the corporate brand and it also encourages remaining employees to feel more valued.”
Career Crossroads International globally provides companies with a wide range of tailored Human Resources services from consulting to writing position and job descriptions, market mapping, recruitment/global search, global mobility, psychometric testing, onboarding, executive coaching, offboarding, outplacement and other unbundled Human Resources support.
Many outplacement providers unknowingly neglect individuals by over-focusing on their ‘process’ of delivering an off-the-shelf program with little flexibility to meet the needs of the individual.
Boyd recognised this problem early in his career. “The pressure of time and the lash of KPIs mean many outplacement providers fail to deliver the best outcome for the individual at a time when they feel most vulnerable and unsure about their career,” he said.
“Our outplacement approach is based on wellbeing from a whole-person perspective, which recognises the need to anchor our work in the ‘real world’ of each person. We ground our work in self-determination and support through solution-focused coaching.
This evidence-based approach helps the individual to transition quickly by maximising their personal growth initiative.”
Career Crossroads International pursues a customer-centric approach by balancing the individual’s needs with moving quickly forward by focusing on the ‘value’ they offer to prospective employers but equally understanding what their culture, career, and motivational fits are. By identifying their ‘value’ and ‘fits’ they are more likely to secure long-term employment and have a fulfilled career.
For individuals who want to secure new employment, this model enables Career Crossroads International to proactively bring prospective employers and candidates together, delivering value for money for the former and career satisfaction for the latter.
Career Crossroads International’s outplacement process starts with several rounds of conversations with the candidate, followed by assessments and rewriting their marketing material (CV/introduction cover page/LinkedIn profile) and then introducing them to suitable companies to smoothly transition them back into the workforce, typically within three to six months.
Through this tailored outplacement process, Career Crossroads International analyses each candidate’s work achievements from previous roles, future goals and uses tools such as psychometric testing and a soft skills assessment to identify suitable career opportunities.
During decades of assisting corporations globally, Career Crossroads International has engaged with senior hiring executives to become known as a true talent partner that understands career trajectory across multiple industries.
“We maintain long-term relationships with companies and candidates, which provides us with an extensive network from which to match individuals to available roles,” said Boyd.
Our outplacement approach is based on wellbeing from a whole-person perspective, which recognises the need to anchor our work in the ‘real world’ of each person.
“For example, we recently assisted an individual made redundant from a background in aviation maintenance onto a new career path. This was done by reaching out to our contacts in mining, oil & gas, waste management, transport and government enterprises on behalf of the individual. By highlighting their previous achievements and expertise, they were able to step onto a new career path within weeks of thinking their career was over.”
If an individual plans to go out on their own in a new business venture, Career Crossroads International guides them by analysing their current situation and then advises on the feasibility of whether to build it from scratch, opt for franchising/partnership or start as a side hustle until financially feasible. The company further aids the individual by utilising its resources to help them develop their business and introducing them to its network of companies/individuals for operational or mentoring/coaching.
Career Crossroads International employs a holistic, proactive, and personal approach that helps senior executives carve a career path by honing their unique value proposition and enabling them to take their past experience and potential into an even more promising future.