Outplacement
Redundancy Index
External Links
Employees who are under notice of redundancy and have been continuously employed for at least two years, qualify for a statutory entitlement to a reasonable amount of paid time off to look for another job or to arrange training. Where possible, employers should extend such assistance to all employees who are affected by redundancy.
Many employers go further in assisting their employees to find alternative employment. There are a number of companies around which offer that service, see external links opposite. Before deciding to use a commercial agency it is worth contacting the local Job Centre. They will often be able to provide assistance, particularly if the employer can provide on-site facilities.
Outplacement agencies provide a range of services all aimed at assisting the employee find a job for themselves. The services include careers guidance, self-analysis, job search techniques and interview skills. The range of fees is wide, for full executive assistance it runs into several thousand pounds. Our advice is to provide some assistance to all employees, the basic range of services described above is normally sufficient.
Fees for such services depend very much upon the number of days one-to-one counselling involved. We suggest employers put a strict cap on this. We would expect a basic outplacement service could be provided for no more than £500 per head.