Downsizing Services

Successful Separation:
Planning and Conducting Employee Terminations

This interactive, hands-on workshop is designed for managers and support personnel who are involved with conducting involuntary separation meetings (due to reduction-in-force, downsizing, layoffs, restructuring, or performance issues). The learning can be applied to large-scale reductions or to termination of a single employee. 

After taking this training session, participants will be able to:

• Define their role, activities, and responsibilities as a member of the Successful Separation Team
• Construct a detailed timeline and assemble an effective team to plan and execute the notifications

• Incorporate safety, security, and liability concerns into their plan

• Prepare for the employee meeting: develop an exact script and plan the transitions through the 5 Steps of a Successful Separation Meeting

•  Adjust their own personal communication style to deliver the separation message to the employee in a way that meets the employee’s, corporate's, and the manager's needs

• Identify 6 types of employee responses to the news, and have tools to manage each response effectively

• Use suggested answers to customize answers to Tough Questions

• Discuss the terminations with remaining employees and outside contacts in a way that minimizes disruption and refocuses them on getting their work done

• Enjoy increased confidence about their ability to conduct employee separations, and decrease their stress level regarding the upcoming task

Kickoff Your Job Search
Services For Displaced
Employees

We offer flexible outplacement services for displaced employees. Below is a sample list of services. Please keep in mind that we can customize our programs to meet your needs.

Our outplacement services programs include:

• Resume Writing
• Interview Coaching
• Career Coaching and Counseling
• Job Search Coaching
• And much more!

CAREER TRANSITION WORKSHOPS

• Most employees have never learned the most basic skills when it comes to all the materials and tasks necessary for a successful job search. The workshop will present the building blocks needed to get that next job quickly.
• Using the group dynamics, topics and guidelines are presented and discussed, along with proprietary exercises in the workbooks. The displaced employee begins to understand the entire job search process, and how each component builds on the previous building block.

QUICKSTART CAREER TRANSITION PROGRAM

• After the workshop is completed and basic skills learned, this program provides additional one-one-one assistance, up to 6 contacts per month, to help the displaced employee implement the plans and use the tools taught in the workshop. By providing a "coach," the employee stands a better chance of getting the job search process off to a quick and action-oriented start.

• Coaches are available to assist in resume development, revision and refinement, cover letter customization, networking opportunities, reviewing interviews successes, writing targeted and powerful thank you notes, negotiating for the right salary and benefits, offer acceptance and getting off to a strong start with the new company.
• Additionally, the clients will get their completed resume and cover letter posted to the top internet job boards and sites.

SUPERPOWER PROGRAM

• This program is perfect for managers and executives, or if you are just letting a few workers go and want to give them support and assistance for a period of time.
• Coaches are available either in person, via e-mail, phone or fax to assist in resume development, revision and refinement, cover letter customization, networking opportunities, reviewing interviews successes, writing targeted and powerful thank you notes, negotiating for the right salary and benefits, offer acceptance and getting off to a strong start with the new company.
• The SuperPower Program gives additional benefits not found in the QuickStart program; since the displaced employee receives customized and individualized attention, they are able to proceed at their own pace, and seek out advice and help when they need it.

Managing Remaining Employees after Terminations
 

Managing remaining employees is delicate and shouldn’t be overlooked. CareerStrides Outplacement offers the Back on Track: Managing Remaining Employees After Terminations, designed for managers, supervisors, and HR personnel who will manage and interact with employees who have NOT been selected for involuntary termination from the company (due to reduction-in-force, downsizing, layoffs, restructuring, or performance issues). The learning can be applied to large-scale reductions or after termination of a single employee. After taking this training session, participants will be able to:

• Explain the impact of change on the organization and the role of leadership in minimizing disruption and refocusing employees on getting their work done

• Define their role and responsibility for assisting employees and the company to recover, move ahead, and capitalize on the new dynamics and organizational structure

• Prepare for handling the retained employees' responses—emotional, logical, motivational, and productivity-based—and be able to adjust their communication style to handle all components

• Identify "Classic Types of Retained Employees" and acquire the tools to manage the responses and issues effectively
• Develop a plan for management and HR to assess progress, identify issues and consistent responses, assist each other, and rebuild the morale and productivity of the company
• Construct plans for each phase of getting retained employees back on track:

Stage 1: immediately after terminations
Stage 2: day after terminations
Stage 3: week following terminations
Stage 4: month after terminations
Stage 5: long-term ramifications and issues

• Use suggested answers to customize answers to "Tough Questions Non-Terminated Employees Will Ask"
• Enjoy increased confidence about their ability to turn the trauma of surviving a layoff into building a new organization

   

Qualifications

CareerStrides Outplacement is run by Linda Matias…

• Author, How to Say It: Job Interviews - Prentice Hall Press, August 2007

• President of The National Resume Writers’ Association (NRWA) – 2003-2005

• Certified in all three areas of the job search: Nationally Certified Resume Writer (NCRW), Certified Interview Coach (CIC) and Job and Career Transition Coach (JCTC)

• Published author and contributor to several nationally published career-related books for major publishers including JIST Publications, McGraw-Hill, Simon and Schuster, and Adams Media Corporation

• Recognized career expert frequently quoted in the Wall Street Journal, CBSMarketWatch, New York’s Newsday and was interviewed by The New York Times.

Value of Outplacement Services

The value of providing an outplacement benefit can be directly measured. It can impact the following areas:

The Bottom Line: budgeting for outplacement as part of the separation package makes good business sense. It is as essential as offering some form of severance, and can directly impact the bottom line. It decreases the amount of time workers obtain unemployment pay, and reduces the potential for lawsuits.

Reputation and Public Image: in an age where companies' reputations can easily be tarnished, the value of being viewed as a good place to work is important, as is the image presented to shareholders, customers, and vendors. Outplacement helps promote the company’s image as a good corporate citizen, and decreases the cost of turnover among remaining employees. Providing outplacement demonstrates to the community that the company values its human capital.

Decrease the Potential for Lawsuits: angry people sue. Offering outplacement can diminish the resentment, hurt and anger many laid off workers feel. By offering a structure that is focused on moving onward, workers have less time to fret and vent about the company and its perceived treatment of them.

Preserve Morale and Productivity of the Remaining Workers: "It could have been me." Most employees who remain after downsizing have this thought. Once the loyalty contract is broken between employers and employees, the remaining employers look to their displaced co-workers to see how they are being treated. Downsizings create a disruption in business, as workers gossip, theorize and worry about the impact on their own lives.

Providing a solid outplacement plan can squelch this negative energy and provide reassurance to the remaining staff.

Preserve the Dignity of the Displaced Workers: knowing that the company has provided a free and valuable service to assist the displaced employee become reemployed quickly can help preserve their self-esteem. Armed with the tools, displaced employees become motivated to enter a job search campaign with confidence.

Enhance the Ability of the Displaced Workers to Become Re-Employed Quickly: studies have shown that outplaced employees find work quicker, and often even at a higher salary when they have the benefit of career transition services. This is because most displaced workers are critically weak in the skills needed to aggressively look for work. Career transition programs include resume development, interview training, and job search coaching. By offering outplacement services you are providing the training and support displaced workers need to find new employment.