ingeniam – Executive Search & Human Capital Consulting

What the year 2022 will bring – positive edition

15. Dezember 2021

It’s easy to get absorbed into a universe of worry and sorrow still/again/at last. But under the surface of a whole bunch of troubles and challenges that the COVID-19 pandemic has brought us, lie some positive and promising developments, that – in a way – came with. Developments that can be indicators for a better world or at least a positive outlook on Recruiting in 2022.

We’re looking at new approaches and technologies that boost cooperation in increasingly diverse areas, at innovation that reshapes work all across the fields and at decentralized work and remote access to broader and wider ranges of resources and talent – to only name a few. Let’s take a closer look at 4 key factors, that will change the game in 2022 executive recruiting:

Location

The place where a job actually “is” has changed tremendously during the pandemic, opening up a lot of exciting new opportunities. Location has lost a lot of its limiting nature and thus opened a much wider circle of both candidates for a job and jobs for a candidate. It even creates more opportunities for your valuable employees who can sense a wider range of freedom in choosing where they are working from and integrating their job better into their natural environment. The location factor has even developed some exciting implications for office spaces and on-site management that are very much worth exploring. But not only that it offers opportunities for you to explore for your company; it will also make others, who don’t adopt a flexible view on this, lose valuable high-level talent in the long run – making them available for you.

Transparency

The dialogue- and user-centered communication technology of the last two decades created very informed individuals with a need to engage and be engaged. Not only will candidates research your company (as they should and have always done) but they will want to find transparent and authentic information they can connect with. They will not only read your job ad but look for voices from within your company, conversations and reviews to match against that. It’s in your own interest to be active in these conversations and through transparency attract better candidates than you can wish for.

Speed

The talent game is picking up speed like never before. The lengthy processes that recruiting can entail, need to be looked at very thoroughly. It doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to (or can) accelerate the process by rushing to the ending but more that you need to optimize the process as much as possible. Eliminating the setbacks and obstacles that cost time and keep the promising candidates waiting. The best candidates likely have other options and need to be kept informed about the process.

And it doesn’t stop there. The aspect of speed transfers on multiple levels in your business. Take a look at more collaborative agreements. Due to the pandemic, those mutually beneficial agreements have been concluded in just a few weeks as opposed to regular few years! That’s a pace that will keep on and create exciting opportunities which we’ll dive into next.

Opportunity

You have a lot of opportunities, stay open-minded for them. And it works vice versa. Create opportunities for candidates as well as your current staff. This doesn’t just mean “work” for you, it means opportunities. Don’t forget that. Opportunities also mean options and you should definitely learn to keep your options in place, moving into the new year. It can mean looking at candidates even if you don’t have a vacancy, looking at different kinds of candidates in different places, making leadership a priority, etc.

All in all, the underlying consequences of the last years have a potential for exciting new developments in 2022. The pandemic has sped up processes that would normally take years to really settle in. This should be seen and treated as nothing but an advantage. It’s all a matter of perspective and how willing you are to get a proper grip on what’s coming. Are you ready?

Resilience and work quality are close pals

19. November 2021

By Stephan Breitfeld

“I hate my job!” – a phrase that makes every HR manager shiver. And with the “great resignation” seeding the fear these days, it’s a phrase to surely pay attention to. Though competition urges businesses to push their extremely valuable employees to their limits, it may eventually lead to burnout in the long run. It’s fairly arguable that a burnout can be cured by a paycheck. Attention needs to be paid to what’s really wrong in the big picture. Well, let’s see what can be done.

What is resilience?

Resilience stands for the capacity to emotionally and mentally cope with challenges, stressful circumstances and (in the worst case) crises. It is a crucial quality of a team to propel a business all the way to the top. In other words, greater resilience in the workplace increases employee performance and engagement, reduces stress and prevents burnouts. Sounds like something to look for, right?

What creates resilience?

A responsible leader. Interestingly enough, a survey from the US identified that 35% of American workers say their boss is the main source of stress at work. To prevent that, leaders have to commit to creating a culture of trust in the workplace, where employees feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. Leaders with no tolerance for mistakes ultimately bring about a feeling of hostility, fear of failure, and (the worst of all) shame to the team – morale drops, productivity decreases, innovation declines.

Flexibility. The global pandemic has demonstrated that working from home can be as productive, as working from the office. It might be a good idea to allow (and maybe even encourage) your employees to work remotely. Change in the environment helps to look at things from a different angle

Employee support. Your employees are your most valuable asset, and thus they also require care and support. A mindfulness training, for example, to decrease stress and enhance overall employee well-being could be just the way to go. There are different techniques of dealing with stress and coping with challenges, so having your team to learn them will increase their stress-proof capabilities.

But most of all: what about the work quality?

All obvious factors aside, there is one outstanding common denominator when it comes to people who are happy at work. It’s the quality they feel in what they do. People who like (or even love) their job get the most gratification from their work and what they do – intrinsically. That makes them much more immune to stress, gives them more energy and usually lifts up a team as well.

That work quality, however, covers all aspects of the job. Not only what you do, but how you do it, how much you do it and what you get out of it. It needs to be a good balance for the individual. Look out for that in your employees. After all: a resilient team of employees will withstand any challenges.

5 TIPPS ZUR WEICHENSTELLUNG

20. Oktober 2021

von Bodo Hartmann

5 universelle Tipps zur Weichenstellung für das Personalmanagement von morgen.

Ganz gleich ob Sie im öffentlichen Dienst oder in der Privatwirtschaft als Personaler:in tätig sind, Sie können jetzt schon viel tun, damit Sie in den nächsten Monaten und Jahren in der Personalarbeit und im Recruiting voll durchstarten können.

Unter uns: Wann haben wir als Personaler:innen jemals eine Zeit mit so vielen neuen Herausforderungen in so kurzer Zeit erlebt? Und wie viele Lernkurven sind Sie und ihr Team geflogen? Wohin geht die Reise in der Post-Covid-Zeit und was werden die Handlungsfelder und Herausforderungen?

Ein Blick über den Tellerand der eigenen Organisation und über Landesgrenzen hinweg lohnt sich und überrascht zugleich in der globalen Übereinstimmung der Handlungsfelder.

Daraus leitet sich ein Problem ab, den auch die Unternehmensberatung Deloitte in einer deutschen Umfrage unlängst bestätigt hat:

Die Suche nach qualifiziertem Personal

„Der Fachkräftemangel ist inzwischen wieder das wichtigste Risiko für die Unternehmen, gefolgt von steigenden Rohstoffkosten, zunehmender Regulierung sowie Energiekosten“, schrieb Deloitte-Chefökonom Alexander Börsch in der am letzten Donnerstag in München veröffentlichten Untersuchung.

Prioritäten für das Personalmanagement von morgen

Jetzt widmen wir uns den Handlungsfeldern im Personalmanagement, die so überraschend gleich sind. Wir beziehen uns auf die große Studie „Creating People Advantage 2021“ der Boston Consulting Group (BCG), die zusammen mit der World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA) kürzlich durchgeführt wurde.

Die Befragten bewerteten 32 Themen des Personalmanagements nach dem aktuellen Leistungsniveau ihrer Organisation und der zukünftigen Bedeutung jedes Themas. Durch die Kombination dieser beiden Dimensionen ergeben sich die 12 Themen mit dem dringendsten Handlungsbedarf. Sie fallen in drei große Kategorien:

Digitalisierung

Digitalisierung. Die meisten Organisationen tun sich schwer damit, ihre Personalabteilungen zu digitalisieren. Erschwerend kommt hinzu, dass Mitarbeiter:innen in ihrer privaten Nutzung digitaler Technologien an schlanke und intuitive Schnittstellen gewöhnt sind und sich daher auch bei der Arbeit moderne Lösungen wünschen.

Talent

Talent. Der Wettbewerb um Talente – insbesondere digitale Talente – erfordert einen hochmodernen Ansatz bei der Suche, Führung und Förderung von Mitarbeiter:innen mit hohem Potenzial. Das Aufkommen der vielen kurzfristig und schnell eingesetzten Freiberufler (Gig Economy) erfordert, dass Organisationen eine hybride Belegschaft aus Auftragnehmern, Freiberuflern, Zeitarbeitern und traditionellen Mitarbeitern verwalten müssen. Gleichzeitig muss die Personalabteilung strategisch die Fähigkeiten identifizieren, die die Organisation in Zukunft benötigt, sowie die Personalentwicklung vorbereiten, um etwaige Lücken zu schließen.

Zukunft der Arbeit

Die Zukunft der Arbeit. Ausgehend von COVID-19 drängen Organisationen darauf, dass die Personalabteilung eine aktivere Rolle übernimmt bei der Neudefinition von: „Wie und Wo‘ wird die Arbeit vollbracht?“. Initiativen zur Neugestaltung der physischen Arbeitsumgebung, die Implementierung einer neuen Organisationsstruktur und die Ermöglichung von kontinuierlichen Veränderungen werden Prioritäten haben.

5 Tipps für die Praxis

Die Ergebnisse der Studie weisen auf fünf wichtige Maßnahmen hin, die Führungskräfte im Personalmanagement ergreifen sollten, um der Entwicklung des Personalwesens im Jahr 2021 und darüber hinaus einen Schritt voraus zu sein.

#1 Stellen Sie die Mitarbeiter in den Mittelpunkt.

Auf Makroebene müssen Organisationen individuelleren Karrierewege und Lernmöglichkeiten für Mitarbeiter:innen schaffen. Auf der Mikroebene müssen sie über starre, einheitliche Prozesse und Interaktionen hinausgehen, um tagtäglich individuelle Lösungen zu ermöglichen. In der Studie gaben 85 % der Befragten an, dass die Konzentration auf die Bedürfnisse und Erwartungen der Mitarbeiter:innen der wichtigste Erfolgsfaktor im Wettbewerb um Talente ist – der höchste Konsens in der gesamten Studie.

#2 Beschleunigen Sie digital.

Die Personalabteilung muss ihre Fähigkeiten in den Bereichen Digitalisierung, IT und Analytik ausbauen, um die Arbeitsplätze der Organisation zukunftssicher zu machen, die IT-Nutzung für die Mitarbeiter:innen zu verbessern und eine strategischere Rolle zu spielen. Nur etwa ein Drittel der Befragten gab an, dass HR über digitale Tools verfügt, die eine nahtlose, individuelle Nutzung bieten; etwas weniger gaben an, dass ihr Unternehmen über ein starkes HR-IT-System verfügt, um Mitarbeiterdaten zu bündeln und zu analysieren. Um sich zu verbessern, müssen Unternehmen die IT-Grundlagen richtig setzen, sich auf digitale Prioritäten konzentrieren, die für die Mitarbeiter:innen einen Unterschied machen, und den Reifegrad der Personalanalyse erhöhen. Gehen Sie in einen intensiven Dialog mit der IT-Abteilung.

#3 Gestalten Sie die Zukunft der Arbeit.

Im Zuge von COVID-19 wurden Telearbeit und flexible Arbeitszeiten zur Norm. Organisationen müssen eine Smart-Work-Strategie definieren, Beschäftigungsoptionen und Belegschaftsstruktur überdenken und die Zugehörigkeit fördern, indem sie den Zweck und die Kultur der Organisation schärfen, um die Mitarbeiter:innen zu inspirieren.

#4 Setzen Sie neue Paradigmen für Fähigkeiten und Mitarbeiter.

Da die Evolution der Anforderungen an das Personal im Gange ist, benötigen Organisationen die richtigen Mitarbeiter:innen und Führungskräfte mit den richtigen Fähigkeiten – sowohl innerhalb als auch außerhalb der Personalabteilung – damit sie sich an die neue Realität anpassen und in den 2020er Jahren erfolgreich sein können. Dazu gehören eine adäquate Personalplanung, ausgeklügelte Weiterbildungs- und Umschulungsmöglichkeiten sowie ein ganzheitlicher Talentmanagement-Ansatz.

#5 Transformieren Sie die Personalverwaltung.

Mit den Mitarbeiter:innen im Mittelpunkt und einer soliden Unterstützung durch Digitalisierung muss HR zum Motor einer sich ständig verändernden Organisation im Dienste der Mitarbeiter:innen werden. Insbesondere müssen Personalleiter:innen eine klare HR- und Personalmanagement-Strategie mit definierten Prinzipien und Prioritäten entwickeln und befolgen, die HR-Zielorganisation überdenken und vor allem muss jede Führungskraft zum echten Personalmanager verwandelt werden. Erst wenn jede Führungskraft seine Mitarbeiter:innen noch weiter in den Fokus rücken, können die Herausforderungen an das Personalmanagement gemeistert werden.

Gelangen sie hier zur BCG Seite dort können sie sich auch den vollständigen Bericht herunterladen.

Laden Sie hier die deutsche Version der deutschen Gesellschaft für Personalführung (dgfp) herunter.

Ingeniam Public findet oder fördert die Führungskräfte mit innovativen Ideen und progressiver Herangehensweise, um dem breiten Spektrum der Herausforderungen im öffentlichen Dienst und der Dynamik, die Covid-19 verursacht hat, gerecht zu werden.

Wir sind überzeugt, dass Ingeniam Public mit seinem Ohr am Puls der Zeit und seiner professionellen und wissenschaftlich basierten Herangehensweise beim gezielten Personalmarketing erstklassige und entscheidende Unterstützung bieten kann. Damit hilft Ingeniam Public, den Mangel an Fach- und Führungskräften zu begegnen und in der digitalen, agilen, sich verändernden, komplexen und hoch vernetzten Arbeitswelt zu bewältigen.

Benötigen Sie eine Beratung? Wir helfen Ihnen, die passenden und nach neuesten neurobiologischen Erkenntnissen aufgebauten Marketingmaßnahme zu Ihren Anforderunge zu finden – individuell, treffsicher & nachhaltig.

Rufen Sie uns an: 069 – 95 90 91 90 von Mo-Fr, 9-18 Uhr (außer an Feiertagen)

Oder wenden Sie sich direkt an:

bodo.hartmann@ingeniam.de
Ihr Partner für den Public Sector

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Autor: Bodo Hartmann

Fishing in international waters? Collaboration in executive search

19. Oktober 2021

By Stephan Breitfeld

Talent is spread all over the world and talented executives are like goldfish in the ocean: one needs a huge net, a reliable boat, and an accurate map, to catch it. But what if you end up in unknown waters and neither a boat, nor a map, seem to provide you their adequate services… Ask locals! International collaboration is often an approach that may bring about more talent to your company. In other words, it is a great way for you to borrow a local map (and maybe even a boat with a brave crew) to catch the coveted executive goldfish in the endless ocean of global economy. Why not collaborate with others, if everyone wins in the end?

Local, national, global – one labor market

An internal HR department may be aware of the labor market situation within the country, but if a position requires talent which is scarce locally, but in abundance across the border, this is where the international collaboration plays a decisive role in executive search. The modern-day reality shows that companies have moved beyond the confinements of national borders, especially in Europe. And networks like IIC Partners fill the gap between different labor markets, cultures and so on.

Here’s an example. Let’s say a company in Finland (why not?) is searching for a new executive for its freshly developed product, which is new for this country, while much of the role- and product-relevant businesses are located, for instance, in Germany. A solution seems fairly obvious: why not look for a candidate in DACH, who may be the perfect match for this position and who already has an entire suitcase of relevant insights? So, the Finnish company would probably be in good hands with an executive search company that either has a German office or a good network over there. The international collaboration ensues, synergies are shared, and benefits from each other’s specialist knowledge of the industry and insights into the client’s requirements and culture can be possible.

Executives are a currency that you can pay with anywhere

Finland and Germany are fairly close though – collaboration can easily spans countries, cultures and continents. But the principles are similar. Collaboration implies benefits for both parties. The globalization of the economy made it as simple as that: executives are an international currency. And, everyone is in the same boat.

Experience shows that the assignments conducted on, so to say, “foreign soil” (be it geographical location or field of business) result in significantly better quality, if a “local” executive search consultant is involved. Thus, it is much easier to identify and communicate your goals, while keeping in mind local specificities. At the same time, collaboration provides you and your company with valuable insights about the business environment. As a result, interviews go smoother and more efficient, you are aware of expectations, and prepared for potential challenges. Win, win and win.

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Do we even still have steady job profiles?

Have you ever noticed how in Life Sciences it’s really hard to define specific job profiles? I notice it again and again when dealing with clients who need to find out who they are looking for. But also, in my own business I come across the real difficult task to define, who my client really is. I don’t have to explain why an up-and-coming startup from the biotech scene with less than 50 employees has very different needs from a big player in the pharmaceutical industry. Rightfully so!

Job profiles and skill sets are very much in motion in Life Sciences: industries merge, new technologies arise, and people need to live up to challenges they didn’t even know, a year ago, existed. Leading to very agile and almost fluid jobs and professions. And now imagine you need to find people for these jobs!

A lot of fish

But don’t get scared! Sure, you might think: it’s so much easier to know exactly who you want to hire and find someone with the exact right profile. Usually that’s a person whose current job is just at the right point of the “career ladder” and who has tons of years of experience in the industry. Well, look at it this way: with agile job profiles you fish in a pond with a lot more fish in it!

A lot more fish may sound like a needle in a haystack, but what it really is, is a much bigger chance for diverse candidates, “out of the box” cross-industry thinking and thus more innovation and preparedness for the ever uncertain future.

The perfect hire

Of course, sometimes I would like to work in a field where jobs are just what they are and always have been. But I don’t and in the end, I don’t want to, either. Finding the right people is a very interesting process and I get in touch with a lot of different candidates with very different skills which get me in touch with more interesting opportunities and a vast and diverse network that I enjoy. So what, I can’t provide ten identical clones for a position that’s been filled a million times? The perfect hire always goes down to an individual level. And that’s necessary for jobs that require more a mindset than a skillset.

Navigating the pond

And again: when you have a more open hiring process, you have much more opportunity to find someone really great! So, navigating a bigger pond is actually a good thing and if you have someone who can fish in the right places, you might just get yourself a really good catch!

What’s your experience? Comment down below!

From: Stephan B. Breitfeld

What made you leave your last job?

25. August 2021

By Stephan Breitfeld

Part of my job as an executive search consultant is a good eye or 6th sense for who is (and who is not) ready to move on from their current job. Some of the observations I make there are also relevant to identify what you need to do to keep your most valuable employees on board. Because in the end, what makes them leave and come to you, might also make them leave you.

The usual suspects

It might not come as a surprise: a lot of the reasons are obvious and remain stable over time. People leave their jobs because they a) hate their boss and/or their colleagues, b) see no opportunities to get ahead and c) get a better offer. Also, timings show a certain pattern: work anniversaries, personal milestones (turning 40 or 50) or larger social gatherings like class reunions can prompt the need to assess the current job and to compare it to “what could have been”.

The early bird retains the worm

What can you do? It’s a good idea to get ahead of the development. When an employee hands in his/her resignation it’s usually too late. The mind is set on leaving and often there is a new contract already in the pocket. You need to catch the frustration before it becomes a decision. There is a lot of AI being used and a lot of snooping being done to detect the willingness of an employee to leave his/her job but apart from what you might think about that, you need to be regularly checking in with your employees.

You need to sense when your employees start to get frustrated and make offers to change that. If they are unhappy with their missing opportunities, make them an offer to change jobs within your company. This is usually way cheaper than trying to match the offer from a competitor with a counteroffer. Detect the pattern of bad management when you see many people getting frustrated under the same supervisor/boss. Change that dynamic. Analyze what the triggers are and get them removed. Get ahead and stay agile.

The(ir) job

And then comes: the job. Apart from the standard factors horrible bosses and better pay/promotion, a big part in people changing job plays their actual job. Or more precisely: the nature of what they do every day. When their work doesn’t match their preferences or skills, when they “grow out of” their position, when the job doesn’t fulfill them anymore. Those more abstract factors are – I hate to break it to you – increasingly decisive, especially for younger talent. You need to design your jobs more around the people and less shove people into jobs. That way they will be more able to dive into their strengths, develop passion for what they do and find and create a career path for themselves that will keep them invested.

More…

I want to recruit women but often don’t find any – why?

22.Juli 2021

By Stephan Breitfeld

Diversity is a topic on everyone’s mind. So it is on mine. I have a fairly diverse team for the work I do but since I recruit for other companies, it becomes a whole other story. As I’m looking for candidates in many different positions, which are mostly on the executive level, I realized that I keep having only a small number of female candidates on my list. From my candidate list only 15-20% are commonly female and the rest is male. Different positions give or take. Leading to: during my active searches I find only very few female candidates in leading positions.

History repeating

That might not come as such a surprise to many since we’ve all seen the numbers of female board members or executives in German DAX companies. But the pattern is really hard to break. In order to fill a position that used to have a male executive with a female candidate I have to present candidates that fit a certain profile. And even though I tend to look outside the box because a good fit isn’t always obvious, it’s also a question of “mass”. If I can’t present a decent number of possible candidates I might end up, and so does the company, with no options in the end. So how does the “decent number” end up being only 15-20 % female?

Finding female candidates

Let’s take an example. Let’s say I need to fill the position of a vice president of engineering in the medtech industry. People working in the industry are predominantly male, especially in higher positions. I want to fill the position with a female candidate. But I simply don’t find ANY women in similar positions. I can go with aspiring women in positions a bit lower or in a totally different field. But it’s of course harder to present these cases opposed to the obvious perfect male candidate. It takes skill on my side, and it takes quite a significantly open approach from the client’s side. Meaning: it’s not the easy way. No one says it has to be though.

The hard work of diversity…

Diversity is a matter of company culture, but it often starts with recruiting. And then it becomes my matter. And recruiting shows: it’s hard work. But it’s absolutely necessary because it’s so easy for patterns to repeat and for culture to stagnate. Of course, the reason I don’t find any women in comparable positions is because they haven’t been properly presented as candidates before and – more importantly – haven’t even been able to move up OR even get in the career paths in question.

… always pays off

The frustration that sometimes comes with the good intentions of diversifying a candidate pool is an easy hurdle. Because the real payoff for the client comes with a diverse team. So, I dive into all the different techniques from:

· Diversifying the places I look for candidates

· Encouraging diverse candidates and sources to referrals

· Making the jobs descriptions more appealing to diverse candidates

· Convincing the clients

To actually make my 20% female candidates become more and more every time. And it doesn’t stop there. Diversity is a constant change process, not a race. How do you handle it?

More…

New Leadership with old principles

16. Juni 2021

There is a lot of things being said and written around leadership every day. Rightfully so. Guiding companies and more importantly people through work life is a fundamentally important task that should ideally be done right. A lot of the “modern” leadership concepts seem to say that classical humanistic education can be neglected in favor of actual people skills. What I find interesting about that is: aren’t people skills at the basis of humanistic education?

Ancient Greek philosophers got the world right, right?

I can’t help but wondering over and over again whether most of the “modern” leadership ideas aren’t in fact things that have been around for centuries. Maybe they have started to be forgotten but obviously shouldn’t be. Leadership of course has to include the perspective of cultural education and a humanistic attitude. Central humanistic aspects include: involve employees, work on an equal footing, work error-free, trust people. Sounds familiar right?

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FOCUS – Top-Personaldienstleister im Executive Search 2021

25. Mai 2021

ingeniam Executive Search & Human Capital Consulting ist Top-Personaldienstleister im Executive Search 2021

FOCUS ermittelte erneut die empfehlenswerten Personalberater Deutschlands. Zum wiederholten Mal zeichnete FOCUS ingeniam Executive Search & Human Capital Consulting GmbH & Co. KG als Top-Personaldienstleister in der Kategorie Executive Search aus!

Aus rund 3.000 Personaldienstleistern hat das vom Nachrichtenmagazin Focus beauftragte Hamburger Institut Statista als unabhängiges Markforschungsunternehmen die empfehlenswerten Personalberater ermittelt. Auftraggeber und Kandidaten wurden dabei gleichermaßen in die Umfrage einbezogen. Abgefragt wurden u.a. Qualität und Auswahl der Kandidatenprofile, Servicequalität, Preis-Leistungs-Verhältnis, Kommunikation und Prozessgeschwindigkeit.

Das gesamte ingeniam-Team freut sich über die erneute Auszeichnung und bedankt sich ganz herzlich bei allen Kunden und Kandidaten für die positive Bewertung. Insbesondere in der Corona-Zeit sind wir ein wenig stolz, die hohen Qualitätsstandards gehalten zu haben und freuen uns auf die weitere Zusammenarbeit.

Outplacement from a company’s point of view

19. Mai 2021

Stephan Breitfeld speaks with Dr. Sousan Schah-Zeidi

Why should a company get involved in the topic of outplacement?

Sometimes and for whatever reason, companies are forced to part ways with longstanding employees, who have delivered good results in the course of their employment. Personal realignment, also known as outplacement, is an effective means for a company to handle the separation in a responsible and socially acceptable way for the employee, who will not be left alone leaving the company.

Who in particular should deal with it?

Personal realignment is always relevant for companies who are parting with, usually, senior level employees with a significant influence on the overall morale of the team, who are well-respected among the colleagues. Personal realignment allows separation without spirit-shifts within the company. At the same time, it’s easier for the leaving employee to transfer the knowledge and stay productive and, above all, willing to perform right up to the end.

I especially advise outplacement to companies in smaller industries, where players know each other very well. A separating senior-level employee, who feels like he or she is being treated unfairly, may speak his or her mind, causing significant damage to the company’s brand. In this case, the realignment strategy serves to improve the relationship between the company and the leaving employee and to cushion potential reputational damage.

Is there an identifiable added value of outplacement?

Clearly, the added value is a quiet and socially acceptable separation. The company fulfills its duty of taking care of its employee, the overall mood in the company remains stable, the company culture stays positive and potential harm to the brand is prevented. Oftentimes it may even prevent disputes in court. In hard facts, it ultimately means a clear reduction in costs and maintenance of productivity.

How does outplacement function in practice?

Thank you for this question. I often come to the conclusion that it’s not quite straightforward.

The process goes as follows: a company has decided to part with the manager X who has worked for the company for the past 20 years. The company has a new management and a new strategy, so that the role of the manager X is no longer applicable. Nonetheless, the manager X has a great influence and relationship with the colleagues. The separation can cause a big stir both within the industry and inside the company. It is also desirable to support the manager X to quickly get an adequate position outside the company, allowing manager X to switch to the new employment. Thus, before addressing the manager X, the company gets in touch with a search consultant, whose expertise includes personal realignment. If the search consultant and the company agree on the terms and the type of cooperation, the company offers the manager X support through an outplacement consultant and, if the manager X agrees, the company moves on. From this point on, communication between the manager X and the search consultant begins, while the company usually steps aside.

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