Skip navigation

News & Services

Stories

Donington Outplacement help can save you money

18th June 2007

Career Transition & Outplacement - Can save you money!

When we think of Career Transition & Outplacement Services (CT&OS) the first scenario that springs to mind is an organisation that has just undergone a restructure, perhaps is downsizing, and as a result there are surplus positions to requirements.

In this situation most organisations seek legal advice to ensure that employees are treated fairly and receive all their entitlements. However, this still does not prevent employees affected by redundancy from taking action against their employer. Claims for unfair dismissal and discrimination are common following restructuring decisions regardless of how well the employer handled the process.

There can be a number of reasons why employees make claims against their employer on termination; however, most commonly, people are aggrieved by the decision as to why they were chosen for redundancy. People who are aggrieved seek legal advice and this usually results in a claim against their employer to have an independent arbiter determine whether their dismissal was for a valid reason and whether they were treated fairly in the process.

It is our experience, shown on numerous occasions, that where the employer invests in the employee beyond their termination date claims for unfair dismissal and/or discrimination are greatly diminished. Such investment involves providing immediate employee assistance through a CT&OS.

A CT&OS can be tailored to suit the needs of the displaced employee and the budget of the employer. The main advantage of such a service is that it is available on site once the employee has been informed of the employer's decision. The immediacy of the service puts the displaced person in contact with a professional who can assist that person deal with the emotions associated with job loss. This in turn focuses the person on dealing with the future and new employment prospects. The process itself provides the person with a sense of purpose and provides a structure and access to office resources as opposed to the isolation of dealing with the termination alone.

Dealing with the termination alone can usually lead to seeking legal advice and then focusing attention in the wrong area - in the past. Many claims for unfair dismissal are speculative; in the sense that the system allows them. Once a claim is lodged an employer who believes they have operated fairly is still faced with paying out money to resolve the claim. Our view is that this money would be much better spent assisting the displaced person focusing their time and energy into moving forward. This is not to say that all claims are speculative but aggrieved people without the right assistance may tend to go down the traditional path of testing their employer's decision to terminate.

CT&OS has many benefits to both displaced people and the employer. Of greatest value to the employer is reputation in a tight labour market for being a fair employer. At the end of the day a displaced person may still not agree with your decision to terminate their employment but with being afforded the right assistance they are more inclined to talk about your business in more favourable terms than had they accepted a settlement through an unfair dismissal or discrimination claim.

Searson Buck holds the licence for Donington, a world leading CT&OS firm, in Tasmania - a comprehensive career transition and outplacement service. Donington operates statewide services and can be contacted in Hobart on (03) 6223 3055 and Launceston (03) 6333 3888.

Other articles