The challenges and restrictions of the last five months have introduced a working environment that is markedly different to the one that many of us are used to. As the dust finally starts to settle, and many organisations are looking to the future, we explore just some of the issues that our clients tell us are most pressing right now…

It can’t be avoided – we’re are going to have to make some changes to the structure of our organisation and reduction of headcount is looking likely.
 
Challenging times can result in difficult decisions. When forced to consider redundancies, the impact across all levels of an organisation can be far reaching. Of course, people react badly when they are impacted by change at work – and these feelings are likely to be heightened at the current time. If not managed well, fear, anxiety, depression and panic can quickly take hold – and send ripples across a whole organisation. Even those employees not affected directly by the change can be negatively impacted –resulting in a detrimental effect on behaviour and productivity. To avoid losing key talent critical to future organisational success – and to protect your reputation as an employer of choice – the right interventions – at the right time - are critical.
 
Support such as upskilling managers to have sensitive and challenging conversations and lead effectively through change – as well as empowering employees to take control of their careers - can have a positive and lasting impact on morale.
 
Take a look at our Holistic Approach to Change for more information
 
Our HR Team have never been busier – how can we support them?
 
For even the most seasoned HR professional, the current volume of change coupled with additional complexity can be overwhelming. If your organisation ordinarily supports change programmes internally, it may be worth considering supplementing your in-house team with some expert external support.
 
HR support is available on an ‘as you need it’ basis – from a single days support to manage a particularly challenging grievance to the full development and management of a redundancy programme - the expertise and additional capacity that an external HR professional can bring is a quick – and surprisingly cost-effective way – to ensure that your HR Team have the resource they need.
 
Find out more
 
I want to support exiting employees, but budgets are tight – is outplacement really a worthwhile investment?
 
Probably one of the questions that we are being asked most often at the moment, when forced to make redundancies to cut costs, investing in outplacement support can feel at odds with the organisational objective.
 
The right support delivers benefits that far surpass the financial outlay. A well-structured outplacement programme can quickly deliver benefits to a large number of employees – regardless of geographical location - at a relatively low cost.
 
Our range of Outplacement solutions are designed to offer maximum flexibility and support. At this time, we are offering additional low-cost options and fully remote programmes to meet the needs of our clients.
 
Read more about the Business Case for Outplacement here
 
We will continue to explore our client’s issues over the coming weeks – if you have an issue you would like us to cover – get in touch.
 
Working Transitions deliver a wide range of services to support organisations through the current period of challenge and into the new future of work. Get in touch to find out how we can support your organisation.