Page 102 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

6.1.6. Innovation and effectiveness
What differentiates AutoVision from other transfer services providers is that its
transfer agencies and companies are conceived as a part of a larger human
resources development process. Since the company provides many other
services in human resources, such as employee development, relations with
customer companies often predate restructuring, which enables AutoVision to be
involved in the planning process from start. Four characteristics can be listed as
particularly effective:
(a) the extended orientation phase at the beginning of the counselling activities;
(b) the mobility premium for exiting the transfer company quickly into a new job;
(c) support measures are mainly not conducted at the job site (but
geographically close);
(d) institutionalised feedback from client employees and employers through
questionnaires and steering committee.
The orientation phase tends to be longer and more intensive than in other
transfer companies. The benefits of this phase lie mainly in the heightened
motivation and initiative of employees. Another feature is the ‘mobility premium’
for those who enter a new job early during their stay at the transfer company, as
agreed in the social plan, which is an effective incentive to search for job offers
and take up opportunities quickly.
According to the interviewees, the effectiveness of the individual support was
raised by the fact that all activities undertaken in the transfer company take place
at a location different from the site of the former employer (but somewhere in the
same region, to minimise demands on employee geographical mobility during the
transfer phase). This physical separation from the old job site aids the
psychological dissociation and the disposition to face the new situation actively.
Regular feedback from participants and the establishment of a steering
committee composed of employer and employee representatives are key
features of quality management.
The biggest obstacle to successful placement into new jobs from the
employee side was said to be their low geographical mobility. This is
understandable for workers who have families which are often deeply rooted in
the social network of their locale. The other obstacle mentioned is a side-effect of
the new anti-discrimination legislation. Employers now usually do not give any
reason when turning down a job application out of fear that justifications might
pave the way for discrimination charges against them. This practice, which
prevents applicants from analysing possible weaknesses in their application and
improving their strategy, tends to affect workers’ motivation negatively.

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