It’s a valid question and one which, as an outplacement and career management practioner, I get asked frequently.

The answer, of course is yes – good outplacement can deliver many lasting and tangible benefits to both the employing organisation and the departing employee. In short, it’s still a key element of good HR practice. While the overall level of support that most organisations are able to commit to has been reduced in many cases we have seen an annual increase in the number of clients offering outplacement services to their employees, as the UK’s leading outplacement provider. Investing in people’s future careers is undoubtedly seen to be as important now as it was 10 years ago.

But why do we wait until an employee is facing redundancy to offer them career assistance? Outplacement interventions are, by their very nature, focused upon a very specific set of circumstances – redundancy (arising from either corporate downsizing or mergers and acquisitions) or simply as a result of the changing nature of employment within a given organisation. In the rapidly changing world of work, we are seeing organisations change the way they interact with employees and vice versa. There is growing recognition, particularly amongst Gen Y (and the soon to be upon us Gen Z) that the rate of change within the workplace is accelerating rapidly and “their” experiences at work will be manifestly different from those that we see today (and think how different these are to when we started work in the 80s and 90s).

Tired retention strategies are no longer viable and progressive organisations are investing time and money in employee’s careers now. How can they be supported to ensure ongoing motivation and commitment? How can they be developed to ensure that there is adequate succession throughout the organisation? How can we attract the best talent and so on?

Supporting people to assess their strengths, their skills and their principal motivators, providing clear and focused insight into how career aspirations can become reality and ensuring that career-development conversations at appraisal time involve more than a cursory nod to “future development” is already a key differentiator amongst certain organisations. Amongst those who are likely to have three, four or even five distinct careers across their working lives, an organisation that displays empathy with, and access to, appropriate career management techniques will be perceived as an organisation that individuals will look to work with.

So whilst outplacement will always provide that burst of condensed energy and activity to help people with sudden job loss, investing in careers prior to redundancy situations will ease the pressure of those difficult situations. Career resilient individuals will be more motivated, more productive, more likely to commit to your organisation… and less likely to need to start from scratch when faced with change.

Article provided by:

Owen Morgan,
Commercial Director,
Penna plc

The general economy remains uncertain however, there is a general expectation that the pace and recovery of economic growth will fall. Whether you are an optimist or agree with the general consensus, it is fair to say that there are still tough times ahead. As we assess the market and work closely with clients to ensure that they have the talent and resources to meet the challenges ahead, we are increasingly asking: “What do you understand about the ability and potential of your own talent?”

More organisations are looking to their internal resource pool for ways to increase their competitive edge. Whilst most organisations realise the importance of measuring current performance levels of employees, we have increasingly found that many organisations do not fully understand, or recognise, potential areas for development in their managers and leaders. When we consider that by developing the talent of managerial teams, businesses could transform themselves and, as an additional benefit, address longer-term performance issues.

Objectively assessing the current and future capability of managers and leaders is an effective way of identifying the gaps between current performance levels and the future needs of the business. Ramsey Hall is increasingly asked to work with organisations to assess, through objective development centres, the capabilities of managers in order to identify ways to address performance issues and take organisational performance to the next level.

Placing a greater importance on the development of internal capability will, undoubtedly, increase the potential of your business and enable improvements to be made to the ‘bottom line’, increase customer expectations and help your organisation to compete in ‘ austere’ times. Additionally, such measures could also serve as a tool to boost morale, increase employee engagement and enhance the career experiences and potential of your organisation’s most valuable asset, your people.

Article provided by:

Jenny Ludford ,
CPsychol,

The recent Labour Market report released by the Office for National Statistics represents a bleak outlook on the current employment market. Set against a stock market in crisis and an inert economy, Personal Career Solutions analyses what this means for the 2.49 million who are unemployed and looking for work.

Back in January, there was a sense of optimism in the job market. Recruiters were reporting an increase in vacancies with a hopeful outlook that this positive trend would continue throughout the year. Disappointingly, reports from the ONS for the second quarter show a decrease in vacancies. With only 449,000 jobs publicly advertised the competition is rife.

It has not all been doom and gloom. Although Public Sector redundancies have had a massive impact on the negative figures, Private Sector employment has increased and total pay has increased by 2.3%. These positive figures illustrate that the private sector is stabilising and companies are investing in talent to solidify their position in our turbulent economic market.

Despite the dip in advertised vacancies, organisations are still hiring but budgets are being cut. The use of recruitment services are being used less, appointments sections of newspapers are thinner, so HR departments are under pressure to find candidates themselves. Knowing this, jobseekers must now change the way they approach their search. When times were good a candidate could go to a recruiter and let them do the work, in this market the candidate has to put in the leg work if they want to find results.

Despite the downturn, Personal Career Solutions’ clients are continuing to find work successfully. No clients in August found work through newspaper advertising, which has traditionally been a key source in finding executive level job roles and only 20% of clients found roles through traditional recruitment services. The other 80% of clients found work through the unadvertised job market, in other words networking and self-marketing.

In the current job market, networking is key when searching for an executive level position. Personal Career Solutions provide help and assistance on researching and building networks so candidates can overcome the shortfall in advertised positions. With over 15 years of experience in providing executive career management services they understand how to make the most of existing networks and how to approach key industry contacts.

For more information on how Personal Career Solutions can assist you at this time please visit: www.personalcareersolutions.co.uk or call 0844 880 6690

Day 1

Congratulations on taking a positive step to

ensure the future success of your career.

One can view the search for a new job as an

unwelcome and unpleasant ‘chore’, or as

a moment of great opportunity in your life.

To make the most of this opportunity,

it is essential to start by finding the

answer to one important question.

“Which way is going to be best for you?”

Don’t miss this golden opportunity,

- review ALL your options.

Recent research shows that very few individuals

have a clear idea where their careers are going.

Nearly 50% of those with no plan, feel

dissatisfied at work. Conversely nearly 90%

of those who know where they’re going

feel positive about what they are

doing with their life and their career.

“PROPER DIRECTION” is the first key to job

satisfaction and career success.

Most executives know that they should plan

their careers. They realise that those

who plan are more successful, but they

still fail to plan properly. When put

on the spot, they agree that they

would never run their business like this.

Planning your career properly is a difficult

business, which is probably why so many

talented and very able managers and

executives fail to realise their career potential.

Yet on a daily business, you are probably

seeing people in senior positions,

where you know you could do a much

better job, if only you had the opportunity.

The reasons are quite understandable.

• · How can you be totally objective about yourself?
• · Is your core expertise and experience centred around job hunting?
• · When did you last conduct a search campaign?

If a long time ago, you will be rusty

in terms of relevant experience and skill.

If you only moved recently, it looks

like something went wrong.

You have to start somewhere, so here are a few tips to help you.

1. Start with some research, take stock of your resources:

• · Look at your strengths and weaknesses
• · Consider what you enjoy doing.
• · Detail your skills and abilities.
• · Review your psychometric profile and what it reveals about you.
• · List your experience.
• · Write down your major achievements.
• · Make a note of your educational and academic achievements.

2. Ask yourself who you know who

has a job you’d really like to have?

3. Consider what it would

take to do a job like that?

4. Think about the sort of environment

in which you would really like to work.

Only when you have made a

comprehensive list of everything that

you have to offer a potential employer

should you start to even think

about the job you’d like.

So, for today as your first step,

just work on your list.

Many people find it difficult to

make a complete inventory of

all they have to offer. As a result

they leave out important parts of

their personal history and end up

under-valuing and under-selling

themselves. Typically, too modest,

self effacing and very understated.

You may find that a friendly chat

with a Career professional of real

benefit. It will ensure that you make

the most of your current opportunity

both in terms of getting the right

job and of maximising the ongoing

rewards you get.

Start making your list now or feel free

to discuss how we may be able to help you.

7 Day Guide to Job Success

Day 2

Target the Right Job and Achieve Greater

Job Satisfaction and Reward.

People who don’t know where they’re going never

arrive at their destination.

Do you recall that we mentioned that the

90% of people who know where their

careers are going, feel satisfied in their jobs?

The most vital aspect of any job hunt is to be clear

about the direction you want your career to take.

Knowing where you’re going can cut job-hunting

time by as much as 50%. Think of the effort you

will save and the disappointments you will avoid.

Our contacts in the Executive Search and Selection

business tell us that it is easier both to interview

How can you get the right opportunities to find you?

Most senior level candidates limit their job search, just pushing themselves out into the job market as would any conventional job hunter.

The tools to make connections expand your network and find the right roles have changed dramatically from the days when you typically had a phone, The Royal Mail and the classified ads to work with.

Now there are effective resources that allow you to create awareness and attract opportunities to come to you on a global scale, provided you apply yourself and learn how to use them properly.

Who you know, or can reach by way of networking has always been cited as one of the best ways to get into positions you really want.

With the new social media tools, you have the opportunity to expand your reach on an exponential basis if you understand the real value of what you will usually have dismissed as more distant, less influential, weaker contacts.

These “weaker ties” have now become extremely important and valuable to your career prospects.

Use of new social media now gives you the capability to create unprecedented numbers of ”weak ties” or links, which most job seekers ignore. So why are these weak ties now so important?

Research has shown that having weak ties, (less well known people that are not so close to you) is what will really expand your ability to reach out and find solutions.

If you talk to people who are close to you to find a job, there will be significant overlap in terms of common contacts and social groups. They are too similar to you. They will know about the same openings and overlap with other people that you and they know. On the other hand, it is the remote acquaintances are far more useful as their greater separation from you, actually means that they will reach into different groups on your behalf.

If you know how to promote your brand to this much wider audience, you can create more openings and opportunities for you to take your career forward.

So the new priorities are;

1. Use these new tools and

2. Give real emphasis and value to the weaker ties you have

Good luck with your campaign!

Connaught Executive Ltd, Dauntsey House Fredericks Place London EC2R 8AB, UNITED KINGDOM

A recent survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) identified that half (52%) of organisations believe the competition for talent has increased. So too has the shift of skills from the UK to the East, which – accompanied by a strong desire to grow – means organisations are looking for sustainable ways to manage talent.

This year’s CIPD Talent Management Conference will offer delegates best practice examples of talent management initiatives from organisations such as, Capgemini, Cranfield School of Management, Siemens Plc and Aviva. There will be an opportunity to gain practical advice on creating a sustainable talent strategy, to drive organisational growth and manage top talent – stressing the importance of placing the right people in the right place at the right time.

Highlight sessions include:

• Talent Planning – designing and implementing a strategic workforce plan which meets the current and future needs of the organisation
• Managing Talent in an Age Diverse Workforce – the development opportunities most appealing to the younger generation, the effects of the default retirement age (DRA) and managing the transfer of knowledge at all stages of the lifecycle
• Global Talent Challenges; Local Solutions – looking at the global challenges of monitoring, measuring and moving talent and the issues associated with overcoming immigration cap restrictions

Claire McCartney, Resourcing and Talent Planning Adviser, CIPD, says: “Coming out of the recession and surviving the crawl back to growth will only happen if organisations make long-term competitiveness a key objective. Shortages of specialist skills and talent in the UK workforce indicate that organisations need to develop from within as well as establish a strong employer brand. Otherwise organisations could run the risk of an unwelcomed halt to progress. The increasingly global marketplace also means that UK organisations are forced to compete in a much wider area, creating the need for ever more innovative talent management strategies.”

For further information on the speakers and conference visit www.cipd.co.uk/cande/talent

The average person spends around 2,000 hours in work each year. Based on a career of 37 years, this amounts to roughly 74,000 hours spent working – by no means an insignificant amount of time. As such, we need to ensure that we take enjoyment from, and are fulfilled, by our careers. Looking back on our working life and realising that we have spent 1/3 of it doing something we have not enjoyed does not bear thinking about and alarm bells should sound for anyone using the words “it’s a job” to describe their work.
Ensuring we derive satisfaction and enjoyment from our work and making career choices that will enhance our lives requires each of us to first understand what is important to us. We each have a unique set of values, beliefs and ideas that are integral to us, and by which we aim to live our lives. Likewise, we each also have a set of values that are unique to our working lives.

At the simplest level these values help us to understand the environments and roles that will engage us. In the context of work, this could include the need to have regular contact with others, being challenged in our roles or having the autonomy to make decisions. Identifying and making sure that our values are aligned with our careers and roles will mean that we are more motivated and engaged with what we do and consequently more likely to have a fulfilling career. From an organisational perspective, companies that successfully attract people who share the company’s values are more likely to thrive, enjoying the highest levels of employee engagement and commitment.

Making informed choices around our careers also becomes easier once we have identified our core values, for example, considering a promotion or moving companies. In these instances it is vital that we assess how well our values and interests align to that of the company or role. So many people base their decision solely on the role, and as such can find themselves quickly de-motivated due to a misalignment between the company’s and employee’s values. If our values don’t align with the company then it is unlikely to be a good match.

Over time our values may modify, often a result of changes to our personal lives, increased responsibility or the acquisition of new skills, and those values we once viewed as unimportant may become a prerequisite. Taking time out of our busy schedules to re-asses any changes that may have occurred is vital, but admittedly this is sometimes easier said than done as day-to-day tasks often take precedence.

Understanding how your values may have changed will help ensure that you continue to derive satisfaction from your career and also enable you to seek out the right opportunities and environments that will help your grow. Additionally, if you are doing something that does not align with your values you will be better placed to express this and look for a solution, such as role re-design, as opposed to thinking that you need to look for another role within another company.
The pressures of modern life, a tougher economic landscape and the demands of changing business needs mean that it is very easy for us to focus on the task in hand and forget the core values that underpin us. Given the amount of time we spend working, ensuring that our values are aligned to the organisation we work for and the role we perform is a vital if we are to reflect back on our careers with a sense of fulfilment.

Only 38% of leaders consider the leadership in their organisation to be high quality, with HR professionals even more critical, research from DDI reveals.

One in four HR workers believe that the quality of their organisational leadership is high, the DDI Global Leadership Forecast shows. Furthermore, only 20% of HR professionals believe that their organisation has the leadership strength to meet future business challenges.

The report rings alarm bells for leadership development, with only 38% of leaders saying that the development they receive is effective, despite the research finding that the highest quality leaders were 13 times more likely to outperform their competitors in bottom-line metrics.

Steve Newhall, Managing Director at DDI UK, comments: “Research from our last two Global Leadership Forecasts shows that leadership quality hasn’t changed that much over the last six years despite the estimated £14 billion spent globally each year on leadership development.

“If organisations are going to have in place the leadership they need, how they find, develop and promote new leaders is going to have to change”.

The most successful development programmes used a variety of different training techniques – with 73% of respondents favouring formal classroom training and 66% preferring special projects and assignments.

Newhall says: “On the face of it, the Forecast paints a worrying picture – leaders haven’t yet got the skills they need, only 1 in 4 organisations rate their leadership quality as high and 80% haven’t got the leaders they need coming through.

“Yet, the picture isn’t as bleak as it may first appear. Organisations have bought into the fact that they need to develop leaders and it’s indisputable that leadership does matter.

“Leaders are telling us the skills they need and they are clear on what development methods are effective. Put all of those elements together and, if we put our minds to it, we should be able to bring about a step change in leadership through effective, targeted development programmes.”

If, like 79% of firms contacted by the CIPD in 2010, your primary resourcing objective is to attract and recruit key staff, does your budget match your objective? In current economic times, shrewd recruitment is the watchword.

Costly and potentially risky

£700m is spent each year in the UK on job adverts and some 400,000 vacancies are filled through recruitment agencies. At an average cost of £4,500 per candidate, you might be happy with this expense if you find the right person. But what happens when it becomes obvious that you have made a mistake? Not many new-hires come with a money-back guarantee.

Since 48% of CIPD respondents also report that they are putting more time and effort into recruiting quality candidates, it’s clear that getting the right person for the job is viewed as extremely important. It’s also clear that having the right people in place is vital to the continued growth and profitability of any organisation. You need to ensure that your people become your company’s most valuable asset, not the most expensive write-off.

Risk-free recruitment

Wouldn’t it be great if such a thing existed? We’re not suggesting that you can entirely eradicate risk from recruitment, but you can certainly reduce it considerably. You can gain a far better understanding of which person best fits your business, before you even take the time to meet them. Also, by understanding the exact profile of the position you need to fill, you can match one to the other, in the most time and cost efficient way.

The true cost of recruiting the wrong person goes way beyond the immediately obvious – up to 2.5 times their annual salary. You may also have invested in training, support staff or new equipment for this person – all of which is money poorly spent if you have the wrong person in the job. A mistake in recruitment may also compromise your longer-term business plans or the stability of your team – again with significant cost implications.

Getting it right first time

Just think about the value to your business of being able to hire the right person, first time, every time. An effective and well-planned recruitment strategy should include the use of psychometric assessment. Why? Because by understanding the qualities, skills and personality that best fit a particular role, you can make sure you look for and find the right person. By asking all potentially suitable candidates to undergo an assessment, you will narrow the field and interview only the most relevant candidates. This saves you time and money and you can be confident that any of the short-listed candidates would be up to the job.

Assessments do not judge right or wrong answers as far as the candidate is concerned. However, the results will show whether the applicant is right or wrong for your business, giving you far more control over who you decide to employ and reducing the risk factor.

Informing employees that their role is to be made redundant is never a pleasant task, not only for the employee but also for the individual having to break such news. Having recently participated in a live Q&A session that focused predominantly on public sector redundancies, many of the participants stated how difficult they were finding it to communicate bad news.

Stress, isolation and loneliness are common feelings expressed by those who find themselves in such a position. Just as individuals directly impacted by redundancy require support, it is equally important to ensure those making employees redundant have adequate support during this difficult time. One way to lessen the impact is to ensure due consideration is given to the overall process (including the consultation process), the key steps of which are outlined below:

1.  Planning and Preparation – This is crucial. Whatever business rational sits behind the decision, line managers need to know and fully understand the reasons for any termination. Criteria for selecting who leaves must be fair and non-discriminatory. Aside from legal reasons, this will help whoever delivers the message to explain the reasons for the decision confidently, clearly and concisely.

2.  Training – Running a termination meeting is extremely stressful. As such, the meeting needs to be conducted in a professional manner, so preparation is key. All paperwork should be prepared in advance and line managers should know beforehand precisely what they are going to say. It’s also worth trying to prejudge how an employee will react; thinking through the possible reactions and difficult questions will help you to remain in control and respond appropriately.

3.  Termination Meeting – This should be conducted in a neutral place, preferably somewhere where you will not be interrupted. It is common practice for the line manager and appropriate HR person to be present together. The employee may also wish to have someone present for moral support. This is a legal entitlement.

4.  Timing – Be fair to the individual by choosing a day or time that will provide enough space for them to absorb and adjust to the news before leaving the premises. If several individuals are affected at the same time, check that all relevant employees can be present and resolve how to deal with any absentees. As far as possible, avoid holding the meeting at lunchtimes, the end of the day, Friday afternoons or significant dates such as birthdays, anniversaries or just before holidays.

5.  Documentation – A personally addressed letter, checked by your legal advisors, that clearly sets out the reason for the termination, the effective date of the termination of contract of employment and the date of departure, should be handed to the employee at the meeting. The letter should also include financial details such as pay in lieu of notice, outstanding salary, accrued holiday pay, any bonus or SAYE considerations, as well as information about how and when the separation payment will be made and any information about the provision of outplacement services.

6.  Next Meeting – Do not assume that the individual hears much of what’s said after they have been told that they have lost their job. It’s important to plan a time and place for further discussion, perhaps a day or two later when thoughts have become clearer.

7.  Internal & External Communication – Providing coherent information is an important way of communicating positive messages about how redundancies have been handled. It also helps to quash the rumours that will inevitably circulate. Communicate news to immediate colleagues, associated departmental heads and any other people who need to know as soon as possible.

Making individuals redundant is never a pleasant experience and for those who are experiencing it for the very first, it is certainly a stressful and somewhat draining experience that often requires line managers to put aside their personal feelings. Having a well prepared mapped out process will help to ensure that employees are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, hopefully reducing some of the stress often associated with such a difficult task.