With every opportunity comes the question of how to best meet the market needs while mitigating the risks of restructuring and workforce realignment. Hence, the demand for an experienced transition provider is at an unprecedented high.

Although attrition and downsizing are common occurrences in modern business, employers need to act with caution to avoid damage to the brand and to the future of the business. Telling employees they no longer have a job isn’t a pleasant task and there are legalities of terminations attached to it. Partnering with a contemporary outplacement provider ensures that an organisation conducting a layoff fulfils all mandatory obligations while giving impacted employees the tools and support they need to move on to the next step in their careers.

The right outplacement service not only helps impacted employees find a new job quickly, it allows remaining employees to return to productivity knowing their colleagues are taken care of. The goal of the contemporary outplacement provider is to design a customised solution based on the unique needs of the company and to create a solution beneficial for all involved.

These services provide expertise and best practices to guide an organisation through the entire termination process, supervising and streamlining documentation and logistical processes, and ensuring smooth transitions.

Outplacement services provide many benefits for the companies. Highly successful organisations realise that success is built on both hard work and goodwill for the benefit of customers and employees.

Whatever the reason for a reduction in force, employers of choice recognise the contributions displaced workers have made to organisational success during their tenure at the company. Outplacement services help to maintain and nurture positive employee relationships during these crucial moments to cement positive sentiment in the future.

Providing certified career coaching, personal branding services, customised job leads, and alumni services ensures that goodwill is preserved and the brand is protected.

From the employee perspective, the loss of a job can lead to significant financial instability for a prolonged period of time. Severance pay alone is often not enough to sustain impacted workers without a way to discover and pursue new opportunities.

Outplacement solutions offer a variety of tools and resources for those who are suddenly without a job. Services such as resume writing and professional branding assistance, career management, and networking advice are just a few of the benefits impacted workers will gain through their time in an outplacement programme, helping them find the coveted jobs they deserve in a short period of time.

This has proven to reduce the rate of unemployment and secure financial stability for individuals, their families, and the communities in which they live faster than a payout alone. Every organisation has its own unique set of corporate values which often include a stated responsibility and commitment to employees.

Yet, a layoff event can often leave exemployees feeling “betrayed”. When employees are given job search assistance, interview preparation tools, and career assessments they tend to feel positively about the future and spend less time reflecting on negative feelings created during the layoff.

When considering a layoff, employers and HR leaders often miss an opportunity to increase employee engagement and improve productivity by failing to recognise the importance of supporting and engaging the employees.

To minimise the impact of a reduction in force, managers should be coached about how to approach and communicate with survivors, as well as with impacted employees. The right outplacement services provider helps organisations return to productivity through management notification and resiliency training.

In this era of brand building, image is the crux of business. Employers are finding that they must focus on retaining the valuable talent they have while attracting and recruiting those who can most closely fill their open job requirements.

To accomplish these goals, companies are looking for solutions to help promote reputation while demonstrating unflinching commitment towards current and former staff. Partnering with a contemporary outplacement services provider with expertise in career transitions gives organsations the ability to provide rapid solutions such as access to job boards, networking connections, or transfer options to exiting employees.

Once established, a better brand attracts valuable team players and secures business for the long run.

Today, organisations ease the process of career transition by working in tandem with a contemporary outplacement service provider and securing goodwill for themselves.

(The writer is director of operations, RiseSmart India)