Welcome to Connect Career Essentials - Winter 2008!

Let's not be coy about it - times are tough, and the outlook for a Happy New Year is probably worrying many of us.

You will know Connect as "the Outplacement People". It's what we do, every day, across the UK. We're working with so many different people - clever technologists, dedicated administrators, busy managers - who all have one thing in common: their jobs with their present companies have come to an end. They are now looking for the next move - will it be to something similar, or a complete change? We're just starting work with an IT professional who is looking to retrain as a tree surgeon - now that's different!

We don't want to bore you with yet more statistics about the numbers of jobs being lost, and you don't need us to tell you how to handle redundancies correctly if your business is facing that problem. Recently, though, Connect Director Phil Griffiths spoke to a CIPD group and gave some views on "best practice" in handling the people impacts of redundancy; you can see the presentation here.

Following on that theme, we are unashamedly positive, of course, about the value of outplacement. Here's why:

Connect Top Ten Tips: why you should provide outplacement

1. Right at the start - it's the decent thing to do. If you and your colleagues care about the people who are losing their jobs, the honourable response is to help them move on - with good outplacement support.

2. It genuinely helps people - take a look at the comments from candidates on our website (http://www.theconnectprogramme.com/outplacement-testimonials.shtml)

3. The fact that part of the arrangements you are making will be outplacement can help you and your fellow managers to break the bad news to people. That's not a pleasant job, but knowing you will be providing support will make it a little easier.

4. It's difficult to get the legal side of redundancy right and you may be faced with tribunal challenges to your decisions. Offering outplacement support demonstrates that you are genuinely concerned about the people - it may convince some that legal action is unwarranted.

5. It's important to show the people who are staying that this is a business that will look after them. The "survivors" will judge you by the way you treat the leavers.

6. Research shows that during and after redundancy exercises, morale, productivity and loyalty suffer. You don't need this - you are re-shaping the business in order to be stronger. Helping the leavers sends a positive message to those who stay. For a thorough piece of research into the effects of redundancy, visit http://www.wlv.ac.uk/PDF/uwbs_WP001-00%20Campbell%20Worrall%20Cooper.pdf

7. …and you really don't want the people you selected to stay with you to start polishing their CVs. Show that the company cares about people and will continue to do so. Keep the new-shaped team on board.

8. Being seen to look after leavers creates a positive image for your business in the media, with customers and with shareholders. Remember that some of the people who leave you may be customers in future; and they may well be asked "Is it a good company to work for?".

9. Outplacement doesn't have to be expensive. Ask your provider to meet your budget!

10. Finally, we think providing outplacement to people whose jobs you make redundant will help you sleep at night!

Think about it for a moment: if individuals who have been made redundant ever needed help in finding new roles, it's terribly clear that they do now. We know that there are fewer jobs out there, and that the queue for each vacancy will be long. Connect outplacement will help people to approach the job market positively, well-prepared, and able to convince a recruiter about the value of their skills and experience.

On a more cheerful note:

Christmas is looming, and we do hope you have a rather splendid time. What's more let's look forward to 2009 and convince ourselves that there will good times.

To help with that we have cast our minds quickly back over 2008, and here is Connect's list of "Reasons to be Cheerful":

1. The Olympics and Paralympics - just magic. Can we do as well in 2012, both in organising and competing? Of course we can!

2. Connect director Nicola Ashton's brilliant playing of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade with the Wessex Concert Orchestra in Chippenham in November. Connect sponsors the orchestra - see http://www.wco.org.uk/

3. Lewis Hamilton

4. Connect consultant Eddie Williams starred on the BBC's "Britain from Above", hosting Andrew Marr at the Faringdon Folly. Watch the video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/britainfromabove/stories/secrets/follies.shtml

5. The Large Hadron Collider didn't cause the end of the world.

6. Back to the Beeb, and another reason to smile in 2008: John Sergeant, at http://www.bbc.co.uk/strictlycomedancing/contestants/john_sergeant.shtml

7. If you want an "aah" story, visit "chimp adopts tiger cubs" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7723868.stm)

8. Lower taxes - for some, for a while, but let's not be churlish.

9. Great news about our judiciary: see http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3134094.ece

10. And to cap it all, Connect MD Richard Tadman has been out capturing pictures of some wonderful British wildlife. Take a look at his portfolio at http://www.richardtadman.com/index.html

To everyone we have worked with in 2008, and to anyone else who has taken the time to read this newsletter - have a very happy Christmas, and all best wishes for 2009.

 

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