Five Ways Career Transition Services Supports
Employee Mental Health
It’s easy to say that providing career transition services is the right thing to do. After all, it helps departing employees to find new opportunities. However, career transition support is more than helping someone find a new job; it’s a way to support employees during times of change – both those departing and those remaining with the company. Specifically, career transition services can help support employee mental health. Here are five ways a partnership with People First HR’s Career Management team supports employee mental health.
Getting Home Safely
After receiving the notification, an individual may experience a range of emotions: stress, shame, sadness, anger. Having a consultant onsite ensures support for the individual immediately after the notification. The consultant can assess the individual’s emotional state and help them exit the workplace. The consultant can provide taxi chits if the individual is not okay to drive home or doesn’t have a ride, which allows the individual to exit the workplace right away. This helps eliminate waiting time which can result in an increased range of emotions including anxiety, sadness and anger.
Post-Notification Support
Once the termination is complete, it is normal for you, as a manager, to worry and wonder about your employee and their emotional state. It’s unlikely, however, that you’ll be able to communicate with the departed employee. With career transition services, a consultant can check in with the individual later in the day to ensure they are doing okay. The consultant will talk to the individual about the emotions they may be experiencing, helping them to refocus and move forward.
Professional Referrals
While our consultants are great at providing emotional and practical support to departing employees, they can recognize when an individual should see a health professional. Asking for help is not easy, and an individual who is in a fragile state may not realize they need assistance. Our consultants are there for your departed employee when it is needed most.
Leader Support
Letting someone go is never an easy decision or conversation. For some, this may be the first time notifying an employee of job loss, and for others who have already had this experience, it might make you feel stressed and anxious to do it again. With career transition services, a consultant is with you every step of the way. As you make decisions around the process, your consultant will help ensure you feel comfortable and confident with the messaging and logistics for the notification meeting. Your well-being and mental health are just as important during this process.
After the departed employee engages in their career transition program, you will receive high-level updates, giving you peace of mind that the departing employee is being taken care of and supported.
Minimize Disruption and Fear to Remaining Staff
Often during times of transition, the focus is on the departing individual. You may forget to think about how the news may affect the remaining employees. Learning that a colleague has lost their job can cause stress and uncertainty, which may impact performance going forward. Career transition consultants can help guide you through the delivery of the message to the remaining employees to help the team feel safe and secure, especially for larger group notifications. As well, by providing transition services, your remaining employees will know that their organization cares and, if they find themselves in the same situation in the future, they will be treated with the same respect and dignity.
