6 Ways Careerminds Helps Conduct Compassionate Virtual Layoffs

It goes without saying that conducting layoffs is the least appealing part of being in Human Resources. Letting coworkers go was difficult before COVID-19, and now layoffs have the added challenge of being done virtually. Performing layoffs during the pandemic has presented many issues for HR professionals, specifically, how to show compassion and respect when virtual seems distant and cold.

Offering people-first outplacement services with Careerminds means that you have a true partner to carefully guide you and your employees through the entire process with kindness. We provide cost-effective, one-on-one career coaching, and a robust learning center platform. 

More importantly, we can support you and your company to ensure you are prepared and protected. We want to help you mitigate the chaos of this transition. 

1. We Prepare You and Your Company

Prior to informing your affected and surviving employees, we will meet with you to go over the best practices for delivering the news with sincere concern and care. Each person will react differently so preparing for various emotions and questions will help protect your company and keep you calm during this difficult process. 

Being transparent with surviving employees about the change in your company’s structure is important for maintaining productivity by relieving fears. Having a severance package and virtual outplacement information ready for transitioning employees will ease many concerns and help them focus on the future. 

2. We Are a Completely Virtual Solution

Our program has always been virtual, so you can rely on our experience in handling layoffs and smooth career transitions in an online environment. Our participants can access every aspect of our service from the comfort of their own homes. Their personal coach is an email, call, or text away, and a wealth of resources can be found on our online learning center. No need to travel into an office for coaching or worry about social distancing, especially because the length of time to find a new role can vary.  

3. We Provide Coaching Until Placement

Offering long term outplacement, especially in our current job market, truly shows you care for the future of your transitioning employees. Many businesses are impacted right now, and finding a new role in the same industry can take more time than normal. Careerminds provides coaching and continued support to your displaced employees until placement. 

Our knowledgeable coaches guide participants through all aspects of their job search. They assess each participant’s goals and tailor a plan for their successful transition. They provide support videos, articles, and helpful resources on our learning platform to ensure each participant gets everything they need from our program. 

4. We Write a Comprehensive Resume

A vital part of the support Careerminds provides is resume writing. Many people have been in their current job for years, meaning their resume is out of date or they don’t have the old one anymore. We work closely with your employees to discover the value they provided in their past roles and then highlight that on their resume. Preparing for a virtual job search is new and different for most and a great resume is what gets you a chance at an interview.

5. We Prepare Participants for Virtual Interviews

Organizations are performing interviews via programs like Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, and Go-to-Meeting to name just a few. Interviewing is already nerve-wracking enough without the added worry that you don’t know how to use the programs involved. 

Our coaches help your employees prep with practice interviews, and because it’s virtual it’s the perfect time to work out any technical difficulties. We want your employee to confidently nail the interview so they get an offer and move into their new role quickly. 

6. We Provide Analytics for Measurable Success

You can monitor and report on your transitioning workers’ progress through our program with our client portal. We provide transparency so you can truly see the value we bring to your company and your employees. Guiding your organization and workers in this process with dignity and respect will help protect your company brand and maintain productivity so you meet your goals. 

By the end of our process, we hope to have saved you and your company unneeded chaos and to create brand ambassadors of past and present coworkers for your company because of how they were treated during this change.