I’ve had several conversations over the past months about the effectiveness of outplacement support. It seems that organisations are paying for something rather transactional, rather than using the opportunity for transformation of their outgoing employees. This feels very process-driven, rather than being human-centred outplacement coaching.
My own experience of human-centred outplacement coaching
It all started with my own outplacement over two years ago, when I asked my organisation to let me use the money they would have spent on traditional outplacement support (how to write a CV, how to do well at interview, how to update my Linked In profile etc.) on something more meaningful for me. That is, a coach-mentor who started with “who am I?” “What is important to me at this stage in my life?” “what is the life I want in 15-20 years time?” Getting to the bottom of these questions and many more helped me to figure out what the next role would look like for me, and enabled me to be choosy – only applying for roles that would be fulfilling and joyous for me. And that all fed into what I wrote on my CV and my Linked In profile; and what I wanted to say at interview. I learned so much about me that it really was transformational.
Outplacement operative vs human-centred outplacement coach
I’ve spoken to others in similar situations who have said the same – they chose to work with a coach who could take them deeper than an outplacement operative might take them. Yes, that is a real job title – outplacement operative. Doesn’t that say so much about what the role focuses on – more operational stuff. Following a set process, rather than working with the human being with all their uniqueness.
Human-centred outplacement coaching
It’s high time that outplacement companies moved (back) towards a more human-centred approach to outplacement, starting where the individual is, and giving them a service that meets their personal needs in-the-moment; and starting with those big questions rather than getting straight down to tactics.
In addition, there is all the psychological fall-out to work through. I’ve written many times about making good endings, going through the neutral zone, and then making high impact new beginnings. We can’t make a good new beginning, until we’ve processed the losses created by the ending; or recognised all the good things we are taking with us, despite that ending; or marked the ending in some way that allows us to cut the cord. We can’t rush through the neutral zone in a bid to just get a job – all of the uncomfortable unknowns will get in our way, and leak out into our interviews. There is such a lot of work to do in the neutral zone. Yet, so few outplacement organisations seem to offer that level of coaching.
Employees deserve human-centred outplacement coaching
Maybe they would argue that organisations won’t pay for that level of service. I hope that’s wrong, but it could well be true. Those buyers of outplacement might want to take another hard look at the impact of that on their outgoing people. Don’t they deserve better after all their years of service to your cause?
