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In episode 35 of “The JoyPowered™ Workspace Podcast,” JoDee and Susan discuss outplacement services with career coach Catherine Schmidt of Purple Ink. Topics include what outplacement entails, why you should offer outplacement, and what an outplaced employee should expect. Listener Kara asks what to do if her employer is disregarding immigration rules like i-9 documents.

Outplacement is support for an exiting employee on their job search, allowing them to work with an outside vendor that can help them with specific tasks related to their job search, like resume help, cover letter, and interviewing. Offering outplacement can benefit more than just the exiting employees; it can help your organization retain current employees, too. When employees that are leaving are offered outplacement, it fosters a sense of goodwill toward the company, even for employees that are staying. It shows that your company cares about its employees and wants them to be successful, even if it’s not with you.

If you’re outplaced, typically the consultant or coach will meet with you to get a sense for your career path, what you’re looking for, and what your experience is being on a job search. Structure depends on the vendor; some may have a defined number of hours that they’re able to provide support and define what they do during those hours. Purple Ink, where Catherine works as a career coach, tailors support and services to the individual with unlimited support for 90 days. Outplacement firms or consultants can also help managers deliver the news with sensitivity and respect and make sure the person knows about the outplacement services that are offered.

Many people don’t take advantage of outplacement services when they’re offered. This may be because they’re angry, so shocked by the news that they forget, concerned about what information is going to be shared with the company, or they think they can handle the job search on their own. It’s crucial for the services to be confidential, and the company should stress the confidentiality when they’re telling the exiting employee about the outplacement services.

Many companies don’t offer outplacement because they aren’t aware of it, they don’t realize what a positive impact it can make, or because they’re afraid it might be expensive. Outplacement can be affordable, though, and your ability to negotiate is good. Often fees are structured by the number of employees the services are going to be offered to, with a flat fee that the employer will pay whether the employee uses the services or not. This isn’t always the case, though; Purple Ink only charges when an employee initiates services.

The Strong Interest Inventory is a helpful tool for outplaced employees; it’s a widely used career planning assessment applicable to anyone at any stage in their career. It compares your personality and traits across the personalities of people in 130 different occupations and gives a high-level overview of positions where people like you are working and are satisfied. This allows an outplaced employee an opportunity for introspection, dialogue with the consultant, and help them to wrap their head around what’s next.

In this episode’s listener mail, Kara in Spokane, Washington is worried that her employer is disregarding immigration rules, specifically the I-9 documents, and wants to know what she should do. JoDee and Susan discuss a recent Gallup study about burnout on the job and its effects.

Get in touch with Catherine:

catherine@purpleinkllc.com

(616) 260-2725

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Purple Ink, the HR consulting firm JoDee owns
• Susan Tinder White Consulting, the HR consulting firm Susan owns
• JoyPowered, JoDee’s first book
• The JoyPowered Family, JoDee’s second book
• Gut+Science, a podcast that explores employee engagement insights you can act on from CEOs you can trust
• “Return on investment of high-quality outplacement programs”, a Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago study projecting how much organizations can avoid paying in wrongful termination suits by offering outplacement
• The Strong Interest Inventory, a widely used career planning assessment
• StrengthsFinder, a popular personality assessment
• Myers-Briggs, a popular personality assessment
• Form I-9, a document used to verify the identity and employment authorization of individuals employed in the United States
• “Employee Burnout, Part 1: The 5 Main Causes”, a Gallup study about employee burnout