Outplacement has moved on - have you?

With today's job market constantly evolving, it’s more important than ever that organisations ensure that the outplacement support they have in place for their employees is fit for purpose.

Whether you already have a long-term provider or have inherited an incumbent partner, how can you be sure that the services you offer are meeting the needs of employees navigating a highly complex and challenging recruitment market?

Whether you’re facing imminent redundancies or revisiting the outplacement you currently have in place, reviewing your existing arrangement is important in helping you to improve the services you deliver and save money.

So where do you start?

Supporting the Few or Looking after Many?

Does your current career transition provision cater mainly for more senior employees while leaving junior to mid-level employees as an afterthought? In a market that is constantly changing, offering career transition support to all impacted employees regardless of level, can protect your employer brand and mitigate reputational risk.

Making career transition support accessible to all employees not only boosts morale for those leaving the business but also reassures those who remain with the organisation, which can help reinforce company culture and secure engagement during organisational change.

Standardised Programmes or Personalised Support?

A 'one size fits all' approach to outplacement support is no longer effective in today's world. Traditional workshops may seem like a good option but often lack the flexibility and relevance employees require especially those with specific requirements or priorities. As a one-off intervention they can only offer a generic set of job hunting techniques.

Likewise, face to face support is often too rigid an approach, with support ultimately inflexible and restrictive, particularly when support with specific interviews and applications is time sensitive. They also present other challenges for the employee in terms of cost and time investment when travelling to and from appointments. Personalised, remote coaching offers the flexibility and tailored guidance the modern job seeker needs.

Who delivers the support?

In some cases, the support is delivered by career coaches with limited experience of outplacement specifically, leading to support which lacks the necessary quality and impact. In 2025, a high-quality outplacement solution requires reliable and experienced coaches who understand the nuances of a job market which has changed significantly in recent years. Choosing a provider who can ensure that type of specialist support is crucial.

How much support is available, when and for how long?

Is the support provided on a re-active or pro-active basis? Do your employees have access to their own dedicated coach whenever they need them or is it limited to a set number of meetings or hours?

At Renovo, we believe in a “One Coach Approach” with unlimited access that offers the employee the best chance of moving on to the right role, in a more timely and effective manner. Or approach  enables individuals to work at their own pace, tailoring the support to their specific needs and situation as necessary on their journey back into employment. We do not complicate matters by offering pick and mix solutions with complex credit systems. Our unique model is simply priced and quick and easy to set up.

Is support fit for today’s jobseeker?

With remote and hybrid working now the norm for many organisations, employees similarly value a more on-demand style of support. This doesn’t mean that the individual is left to navigate the process in isolation, rather it means having access to a holistic approach that combines personalised one-to-one support with access to online content that supports their journey. We no longer need face to face meetings to reach a positive outcome and a remote approach allows much better flexibility, whilst offering deeper personalisation at a much lower cost.

 The Ultimate Test - ROI

Measuring ROI of any kind remains crucially important, however understanding the effectiveness of the career transition support you are offering and how that translates into a return on investment has always been especially difficult to measure when it comes to outplacement. After all, how do you measure the impact which providing outplacement has on your company brand, or the levels of employee engagement and retention, or even your ability to attract talent?

When utilising outplacement support, you need to know that you’re providing something that your employees actually want. We measure this by looking at engagement levels: monitoring take up of programmes, levels of interaction and hours of coaching taken advantage of.

It is of equal importance of course that the support provided is effective and this can be measured by the resettlement rates of participants. On average, our clients return to work after 70 days and 82% have a positive outcome within the 90-day programme.

In order to drive initial take up and ongoing engagement, it requires clear communication, something which should be part of the outplacement provider’s role in terms of articulating and communicating clearly with impacted employees (in partnership with the Employer).

Are you spending too much?

Many organisations continue to spend more than they need to on outplacement support, whilst simultaneously failing to see the results they expect.

By adapting the nature of support provided, you may be able to offer more personalised support to more of your employees for less than your current level of spend.

Choosing a remotely delivered programme enables you to save money whilst providing a one-to-one tailored level of support, to the many, not the few.