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To give an employee notice or to be given notice oneself – for both sides an unpleasant to painful experience. Outplacement is a possibility to minimize or even avoid frustration, disappointment and long term unemployment of the affected employee, as well as the risks for the company, as for example drawn out legal processes, negative image as employer and above all demotivation as well as insecurity of one’s own employees. It is in the interest of the employer to accord the former employee value and respect and also timely access to Human Resource management.

Companies who have no value and above all no budget for personal development, will hardly find their way to outplacement. This gives in my opinion a picture of their business culture. How important are the employees for the management, their know-how, their satisfaction; and are management aware that company success is dependent on these factors? Reorganization measures and restructuring in order to save on costs is today no longer »state of the art«. If human resources are seen as essential company capital, then the loss of employees and their knowledge is given a new meaning.

Every separation, no matter in what area of life or what relationship, is always a painful experience for both sides, and brings the constant awareness of one’s own role in the process. Every separation where both sides remain willing to talk to each other and at some level can continue to interact, is a gain for all parties involved. The otherwise usual winner – loser or perpetrator – victim dynamic, which actually brings advantage to nobody but only wastes energy, precious time and money, has no adherents. Ultimately at the beginning of every relationship is an understanding that both pull in the same direction, and usually it is impossible to tell when and where those directions parted. However we rarely know if these paths will cross once again, of course under other, new, circumstances. Irrespective of the fact that after a separation it is best to move unencumbered in a new direction, it is in any case in hindsight an intelligent decision to count on a future meeting. In practice I have seen formerly laid off employees suddenly reappearing in front of his/her former management as a negotiator for an important contract. The last thing management here needs is the memory of past unjust treatment. The awareness that a mutually agreed separation leaves doors open and enables moving forward for everyone makes outplacement a very worthwhile concept.
 
An understanding of outplacement processes of here and now brings more advantages for all those affected than was previously thought. The further development does not just show in an update of professional application processes and a quick transition to a new job, but also in the coaching process: through the confrontation with one’s own life situation it becomes a door-opener to the revaluation and possible correction of your own goals and maybe the discovery of new possibilities on the horizon. A new comparison of self and outside perception, the evaluation of your own position on the job market, the possibilities offered by change, and the leaving of known paths bring personal development - even if viewed at the beginning with caution and even suspicion. From the management perspective it is quickly obvious that a positive dissolution of the work relationship is beneficial for the image of the company, the motivation of the remaining employees and for concentration on core tasks. Compared to its’ advantages, the costs of outplacement are insignificant. These pay for themselves many times over through the positive effect on the company culture and the business climate.

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