Outplacement Service in India FAQ’s: Part-1

We are glad for the opportunity given by HRShapers to represent a brief understanding of Outplacement topic. Representing this topic, provided us a great learning experience apart from sharing. From the questionnaire session, we are picking up the questions which are important to understand the outplacement. To our count, the questions list was extended to more than 50, in this part we are taking focus on some questions, will share remaining in the upcoming articles on outplacement.

1.What should be the benchmark to be followed while selecting employees for outplacement?

Ans: For any outplacement firm there must be predefined policy and process for outplacement as part of the Business Process. In case, this is not the part of your organization policy, it’s the impacting part of the organization when an employee has to be made unnecessary to be reviewed. The foremost part in deciding is to see if they can be repositioned anywhere before taking outplacement decision.  

2.What’s the future of outplacement?

Ans: As outplacement was introduced a long back, but still many organizations don’t have proper policies and procedure to be followed. Because, as outplacement service is the rare case which confronts to the organizations. People are seeking careers in outplacement, as it has the best outcome on outplacement. It is slowly emerging as the mandatory policy and adopted by HR and employees in an organization. Definitely, the outplacement service offers an opportunity for individuals to choose the best with an assistance of a coach.

3.What are the benefits of outplacement service to organization and employee?

Ans: In many organizations, they confront with such a situation where they have to leave their employees because of business reasons. At this point of time, opting outplacement decision will help the organization to stay fit and this decision favors to employees, they can even rejoin the same organization, when the organization attains stability in the business process. The Outplacement firm helps employees and their dependents to get out of the situation quickly, also it may help to feel secure to work with an outplacement firm. Outplacement helps an organization to build and maintain their brand and employees also come forward to refer people to join with this organization.

4.How well HR professionals familiar with outplacement services in India?

Ans:  When you’re talking about outplacement service in India, There are a few companies who opt for this service in their business policies. That’s the reason, many HR is lack of the real-time experience of the outplacement service, Unless getting exposure to it, HR can’t get the complete processes involved in it. Outplacement has to deal with many processes, which assists employees to get stability after getting lost in their job and also it builds an organization brand. Husys served outplacement service for international clients, which bought a real-time exposure on outplacement complete process to our HR professional. Efforts of Husys is to ensure that all our HR professional are updated on the process and get expertise.  

5.What circumstances the organization should end up to take outplacement route! What are the key triggers?

Ans: Organizations as part of their business decisions can go the route of outplacement. Key triggers include: Due to market change, Internal changes and Based on some mergers and acquisitions these conditions may force the organization to reconsider the people deployment and redundancies if any.

6.What is internal deployment?

Ans: Internal Deployment is the key function of HR consultancy. It’s the situation where an organization has to analyze the skills of an employee, that can be utilized by a different department, which helps to balance the aspirations and also the requirement of the organization.

7.When can an organization ask HR for developing a career transition?

Ans: At some times, organization comes to such situations where they need to redundant the employee for managing their business process, At this point, HR has to analyze the skills of employees and match their skills with different department skills so that they can be redeployed there.

8.What are the ways to provide outplacement service?

Ans: Two Ways: First Way- When few employees of the organization are chosen for the transition: In this situation, provide each individual with a coach with the transition plan. This you can apply for the handful of the employee to be outplaced.

Second Way- Group Transition situation: In this situation, you probably need to set up an outplacement center inside an organization for the department or the unit which you need to close etc.

9.What’s the difference between the outplacement agency or regular placement agency?

Ans: Generally, people get confused between this two placement service. These two are different with a different process in mind. The outplacement agency identifies the individual skills and works with recruitment agencies based on the specific needs of the individual or group if needed, which all the due diligence is taken care.

10.What are the general time frame clauses of outplacement policy?

Ans: The time frames for the outplacement service purely depend on the position of the employee to be deployed. The higher the position, higher will be the time frame anywhere in between 3-18 months. Lower the position low will be the time frame for 1-3 months.

11.What exactly the outplacement provider?

Ans: Outplacement provider takes care of the entire process starting from taking the decision of employees to be outplaced till they get the job. It’s all about the quality of service you want to provide to your employees. Yes, you can do this with the help of the line and top management. But, they don’t specialize in that field. Taking the assistance of specialized always make a difference in execution of the process effectively. It also works well for employer branding.

12.On what basis do organization select employees for outplacement?

Ans: The parameters on which outplacement has done include- the business impact and the positions are made redundant, in case they can’t be relocated to other operations and functions of the department. You may also consider re-skill if required. After doing this complete analysis you will be left with the list of outplacement employees and they are declared as redundant. This process will help both the employee and the organization to come with a better option to move forward.

13.What will be the impact of outplacement on the existing employees?

Ans: Existing employee will definitely appreciate outplacement decision, as it will help the organization, outplaced employees and the existed employee in future.

14.What is Garden leave?

Ans: In Garden leave, the employee is instructed to may or may not attend the office during the notice period, while still remaining on the payroll. During this time the employee can find a new job. This process required to be supplemented with support outplacement so that it’s effective.

15.How do you select a Vendor?

Ans: It was the most critical task to do, Some of the significant aspects to review are:

• An outplacement agency/group, who has expertise in doing this task(The most common mistake which people do is to submitting this task to the recruitment agency, who don’t know even the process of the outplacement process. At this point, the organization may get restricted with the limited requirement to generate revenue. An organization must have the ample of options to reach the job market for the candidates/coaches).
• Most significant is the Network of Professionals that they have in the specific Industry.  
• Ability to assist in incubating the business for the employee, who are affected or at least have the right connections to help ( Standup India & Startup India).
• Analyze the ability or experience to handle outplacement service in a formal way.
• Ability to reach the right coaches for specific functions with market understanding.
• Ability to collaborate with external agencies to assist in various stages of transition.
• Ability to offer a technology for career transition support reach and also the ability of the coaches.
• Ability to come up with alternative mechanisms for the employee during the transition.

16.What are the skills required in HR professionals to implement outplacement in an organization?

Ans: Be effective in all HR related services and bring those synergies together.

17.How is Outplacement different from HR Functions?

Ans: Outplacement is the part of the HR function, and it’s practiced during the transition of organizational growth/decline. Like any other HR functions, this function needs to be executed when required.