Here’s my issue with the word “outplacement.” The name itself says, “You’re out. Go get placed someplace else.” What is a more motivating word?
We see this a lot in business. We hang on to words that maybe made sense at one point in time, but we’ve evolved. I think this word needs to be retired. But the other issue I have is that the companies that are doing outplacement right now, again, are old school.
Outplacement Services Are Outdated
@j.t.odonnell Let”s retire the word OUTPLACEMENT @j.t.odonnell #outplacement #layoff #edutok #jobsearch #WomenOwnedBusiness #hr #recruitment #careeradvice ♬ original sound – J.T. O’Donnell
The companies that still do outplacement have been around for a really long time. And when a big company does a layoff and is very visible in the public, they will go and purchase outplacement services from these older companies which honestly are teaching outdated resume, LinkedIn, and cover letter techniques, and aren’t really helping laid-off employees figure out what they want to do in their careers.
And how do I know that? Well, I built a platform—a career coaching platform—and all of these people who are getting this “outplacement” are now coming to us after it’s been unsuccessful.
The Solution? Career Coaching…
Inside my career coaching community, we’re finding out how unsuccessful outplacement services really are. We’re seeing what laid-off employees were told and we see how wrong it is. They come to us, and we help them fix it.
What’s different about us? We’re disrupting the industry. For starters, anyone can join my platform for free. We believe career coaching is a sign of greatness, not a sign of weakness. Outplacement is seen as something shameful. You did something wrong, you got laid off. But with career coaching, it’s different.
Think of your employees as becoming alumni of your organization, as the alumni having a place to collectively go. That’s what we’re doing for companies. Smart companies are doing away with outplacement and coming to us and saying, “Create an alumni center for my folks and give them the support that they need so that they can figure out what they want to do next,” and we support them. That’s what we do. That is the future of support for the people that you have to let go in your organization.
If you would like to learn more about how that works, you can direct message me and I can share more with you. But even if you don’t work with us, please think twice about overpaying for these outplacement services that are really not doing your people any good. There is a better way (and a more motivating word) than outplacement services, and that’s career coaching.
