Choosing outplacement services in Australia

For businesses in periods of transition, having an expert partner by their side can make all the difference. That’s where outplacement comes in. Outplacement providers offer redundancy support services that help both companies and their workforce to navigate the change without the stress. 

In this article, we’ll examine what outplacement is, what services are included, and the benefits of outplacement for both employers and employees. Then we’ll dive into how to choose an outplacement service, and provide a checklist to make sure the provider you select can meet the specific needs of your business. By the end, you’ll be able to assess outplacement services in Australia confidently and fairly. 

Outplacement is a service provided by employers to displaced employees during redundancy and retrenchment exercises. It supports them through their next steps, whether that is internal redeployment, retirement, entrepreneurship or, most often, the search for a new role elsewhere. 

These employee transition programs can greatly reduce the potential negative effects of redundancy, enabling HR teams to focus on business-as-usual and cushioning the impact for staff. 

To make an employee redundant, certain legal criteria must be met.

• There must be a genuine reason for eliminating the role – either the role no longer needs to be carried out, or the business is no longer trading.
• Internal redeployment options must be explored before making an employee redundant.
• The business must consult with its employees about the proposed redundancies.
• If more than 15 employees are being made redundant, the business must inform Services Australia and provide severance pay.
• Employers must provide mandatory notice or pay in lieu.

In addition to these legal requirements, new trends are emerging:

• Redeployments are being examined in greater depth – for example, investigating whether work done by contractors could be reallocated to displaced employees. 
• Voluntary redundancy programs are growing in popularity, as they maintain morale and reduce the risk of legal dispute.
• The focus on employee mental health is increasing, as redundancies affect not just retrenched employees but also survivors.

Outplacement services can help to ensure legal compliance, but can also adapt to new workplace norms by supporting mental health and internal redeployment. 

However senior the employee, and whatever their hopes for the future, outplacement can provide them with reassurance and a path forward. Businesses considering working with an outplacement partner should consider whether their preferred supplier offers the following: 

• Careers advice: To identify strengths, weaknesses, and skills, agree next steps, and formulate a strategy for a successful job search. 

• Job search tools: To support program participants in navigating the modern job market and finding suitable vacancies with both one-to-one coaching and AI job matching.  

• Job market insights: To drive participant success with coaches who understand the local labour market and global trends. 

• Emotional support: To help displaced employees to process the stress, loss of identity, and financial concerns that job loss entails, through dedicated, one-to-one coaching.

• Resume writing: To ensure the employee is putting their best foot forward and creating the right first impression from the moment they apply.

• LinkedIn profile optimisation: To ensure they are found in recruiter searches, build a professional network, and showcase the value they add to a business. 

• Interview coaching: To provide an opportunity to practice interview questions and prepare examples for responses to behavioural interviews.
  
• Retirement support: To smooth the path to retirement with lifestyle and financial preparation for a new phase of life. 

• Virtual tools: To enable participants to access information and make progress with their job search wherever, and whenever, it suits them. 

• Executive coaching: To support executives in deciding on their next steps, whether that be a portfolio career, consulting, or setting up a new business. 

• Personal branding: To develop a personal brand for each participant that differentiates them from other applicants, builds credibility, and attracts opportunities. 

• Offer negotiation: To secure the best possible salary, terms, and benefits when employees receive new job offers. 

• HR metrics: To deliver business insights on program participation, landing rates, and satisfaction.
  
  

Outplacement services in Australia are a win-win situation for the employee and the employer. 

Losing a job is a stressful experience, combining an emotional rollercoaster with practical considerations. When outplacement services are offered, the employee benefits from: 

• Career support: Practical advice from a dedicated coach, who is with them and on their side through every step of the transition. 

• Emotional support: Reassurance and encouragement, through an unexpected and challenging period, to reduce the stress associated with job loss – including support with financial concerns, feelings of rejection, grief, anxiety, or shame. 

• Smooth transitions: Faster transitions into new, meaningful roles than when the job search is navigated alone, reducing any period of unemployment and uncertainty. 

For outplacement to justify the associated costs, there must also be benefits for the employer. Companies partnering with outplacement services see: 

• Productivity gains: Retain top talent and mitigate low morale, following layoffs, by providing comprehensive support to departing employees and showing remaining staff they are valued and looked after. 

• Brand protection: Mitigate the impact of negative reviews and press by ensuring layoffs are handled humanely and compliantly. 

• Recognition as an employer of choice: Attract talent in the future by building a reputation as an employer who lives their values and cares for their staff. 

• Partnership with the HR team: Reduce stress and burnout in the HR team by partnering with an external provider. Redundancies, retrenchments, and restructures are significant projects for your team to manage alone in addition to business-as-usual activities. 

• Risk mitigation: Reduce the threat of legal action or grievances by ensuring that redundancies are carried out fairly and in a way that prioritises the well-being of displaced staff. 

With advantages for the company, displaced employees, and retained talent, outplacement services are certainly worth the investment. 

When creating a shortlist of outplacement services providers, HR teams should begin by asking a few key questions. 

Most providers will offer career coaching as a bare minimum, covering job search strategy, interview advice, and advice on resume and LinkedIn profile writing. 

Other providers go further, with full done-for-you resume writing and LinkedIn optimisation, job matching, and the offering of negotiation advice. There may even be a virtual resource bank for your displaced employees to access, giving them 24/7 advice and support. 

HR teams need to decide what level of service they should invest in to meet their employee’s needs while remaining cost effective.

Not every service can accommodate all employees – some will specialise in executive outplacement in Australia, while others focus on mid-level staff globally. Many offer a tiered approach whereby more senior employees receive a higher level of support. What would suit your organisation and its employees best?

Return on investment for outplacement services is visible in reputation protection, risk mitigation, and morale and productivity among retained staff. Such ROI can be hard to quantify, but many outplacement providers recognise this and provide client dashboards so that engagement, satisfaction, and landing rates can be assessed in real time. Ensure your chosen provider can provide the data you need, when you need it.  

A trail of happy clients and positive outcomes is a strong endorsement for any business. When choosing an outplacement provider, ask for evidence that they can deliver on their promises. 

Does your company require a specialist industry outplacement provider, such as a technology or mining expert, who can place retrenched staff elsewhere in the same industry? Or would broader, more diversified support, such as for careers in retail or operations, work better?

Traditionally, outplacement providers would work with their clients on site, offering face-to-face support in groups or one-to-one. These days, support is more often delivered remotely, either by phone or video call, meaning that employees can receive support in their normal place of work – whether that’s at home, in the office, or on the beach. 

As the outplacement model has evolved from in-person support, the more critical question is whether they have the expertise to support your employees in the markets where they are job searching. This is particularly pertinent for global companies that may be making redundancies in several international markets. 

How long do you want to support your employees for? Many outplacement firms provide time-limited services, meaning that support is cut off after a certain time – whether the program participants have landed a new role or not. 

What does your HR team really need during this transition and beyond? A global outplacement provider will be able to integrate their support into your HRIS, or work with you on longer-term talent solutions such as upskilling or workforce modelling. 

To ensure full legal compliance, it is imperative to explore options to redeploy impacted employees internally before progressing with redundancies. Some outplacement providers have the expertise to support this option, which can reduce the additional workload on your HR team during the transition.

At Careerminds, we’re proud of our industry-leading outplacement services. In addition to providing the basic outplacement deliverables, we go above and beyond for our clients, providing: 

• Support until landing: No arbitrary time constraints that cut participants off when they most need us – we stay by their side, offering support until they land a meaningful new role.

• Global reach, local expertise: We bring the reassurance and scale of a global provider operating in over 100 countries, and the expertise of local coaches who understand the local employment landscape. 

• Transparency: As well as providing clients with real-time participant data, we also share industry trends and benchmarks. 

• Personalised programs: Our programs are tailored to your workforce, with support for employees at entry-level through to leaders and senior executives, and HR advice from internal redeployment through to leadership training. 

• HRIS integration: Our proprietary systems integrate seamlessly with your own HRIS, enabling a smooth experience for displaced employees and HR teams alike. 

• Long-term partnership: We’re not just there for you when the going gets tough – we’re with you for the long haul. In addition to outplacement services, Careerminds offers career development and enablement, leadership coaching, career frameworks, workforce intelligence modelling, and more. Just tell us what you need. 

Before engaging an outplacement provider, use this checklist to ensure your chosen provider will meet the needs of both the company and its employees:

• One-to-one coaching with practical advice and well-being support.
• Local coaches in impacted markets.
• Global expertise.
• Job matching.
• Resume writing.
• LinkedIn profile optimisation. 
• Personal branding. 

• Interview coaching.
• Virtual resources.
• Multi-level support – from individual contributors to senior executives.
• Salary negotiation support.
• Alternative pathway support: retirement, entrepreneurship, consulting, and portfolio careers. 
• Internal redeployment support. 
• Support until landing.
• Previous client testimonies.
• HR dashboard reporting.
• HRIS integration.
• Long-term partnership or additional services.

Choosing career transition support in Australia is easy when you understand what’s available and what the business needs. 

Key takeaways: 

• Outplacement offers benefits for the company and its workforce. 
• Key differences include time-restricted support, global scale, reporting, and tiers of programs offered.
• ROI is measured in terms of whether the provider has high participant engagement, satisfaction, and landing rates.

Of course, we’d love you to choose Careerminds as your outplacement partner. We believe that, with our unique combination of global scope, local expertise, human-centred approach, and cost-effective programs, we can ensure your business is recognised for its modern approach to workforce relations. 

Why not contact us to discuss your needs with one of our experts?