Marsha Verlander, assessment and development consultant
CBSbutler - technical recruiter

Thirty years ago, the idea of a job for life went unquestioned. Mobility in the employment market was unusual and, in most cases unnecessary. How things change! 

Lessons from last recession

The job for life scenario has well and truly disappeared and downsizing seems here to stay. The last recession brought a new and more ruthless approach to staffing. Out went the old ideas of large departments and corporate hierarchies – in came flat management structures and the notion of small permanent teams supplemented by temps or contract workers. The business philosophy of low overheads that it generated is still with us in today’s market where we are facing economic and job uncertainty all over again.

Take stock

Consequently, it is not unusual these days to find yourself in a position where a career change becomes a necessity rather than a choice. But this can be an opportunity as well as a threat - and it’s a great chance to sit back, take stock and decide what you want to do next.

Self-esteem

If you are worried about redundancy then it’s important to appreciate that it’s your job and not you that is being made redundant. It is easy to let the loss of a job affect your self esteem – redundancy affects people in different ways but try to remain positive and use your remaining time in your job wisely. 

Fresh approach

You are entitled to apply for positions and attend interviews whilst still with your current employer so update your CV and consult a professional recruitment consultancy. The stigma that used to be attached to being made redundant is simply no longer there and many of the employers I speak to say that it has no impact on a candidate’s employability. The general consensus seems to be that redundancy is an occupational hazard which has a positive effect of releasing skill sets into the marketplace – often bringing a fresh approach to what are sometimes stagnant departments.

Outplacement / coaches

As a HR professional, you may be able to persuade your employer to look at the outplacement option and see if your former employer will pay for outplacement services and professional advice to help you find new opportunities. In my own organisation for example, we offer outplacement consultancy to clients by working with specialist coaches that have had many years experience in providing specialist outplacement support to organisations and individuals across a range of professions. Focused on encouraging people to think positively about change, these experts are well equipped to deal with the full range of emotions associated with redundancy and the need to rebuild individual confidence.

Redeployment strategy

As an example, one of our clients who had been using us to recruit specialist staff since 2000 announced that one of their sites was to close. Although opportunities existed at other sites within the organisation, they were not geographically close and so relocation would be required. The client’s clear objective was to redeploy as many ‘at risk’ employees as possible and meet the necessary reductions through voluntary redundancies. In order to achieve this, we provided a UK redeployment team which was engaged to provide support throughout the entire process providing on site redeployment workshops, career guidance, interview coaching and competitor market information successfully redeploying substantial number within short timescales.

In terms of persuading your employer to the benefits - it’s not just the people who are being made redundant that will benefit - it also helps the organisation’s branding as it can help build the morale of the remaining employees -  it demonstrates commitment to all staff - those staying as well as those going.

Positive attitude

At the end of the day, it’s important to focus on the fact that change is all about opportunity - and although that might be a difficult concept to grasp when you have just discovered that your role no longer exists within an organisation, a positive attitude and a good outplacement provider could make all the difference.