Page 182 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

What does emerge from the review is that the support arrangements for
vulnerable workers may need to be well-resourced, timely and often provided
longer term, including in after-care arrangements if they are to be effective. It is
clear that the success of outplacement depends heavily on the age, skills and
overall employability of the employees, and is only partly mediated by the help
received.

7.5. Better practice and transferability

An important feature of comparative research such as this is to look at the scope
for transferring better practice in socially responsible adjustment to restructuring.
The evidence of better practice within enterprises is not yet strong and there is
also limited evidence of the impact of different practices beyond the short term.
The review is, nonetheless, able to draw out some cross-cutting issues for
effective practice and enablers in achieving more immediate results.
Just as reskilling support will be less effective if not accompanied by career
guidance and associated support, then career guidance services within
restructuring situations cannot be developed or applied in isolation from related
services to support displaced workers. Examples are direct brokerage,
intermediary arrangements for work trials, enterprise start-up support and under-
pinning training and retraining activities that respond to individual circumstances.
Career guidance support will be effective in restructuring situations where it is
genuinely client-centred. This calls for strategies where services are rooted in
needs-based provision, customised, and stemming from adaptive arrangements
for initial and continuing assessment of the circumstances and needs of
displaced workers.
Effective practice may harness some group support arrangements for
displaced workers, or those at risk of redundancy, but it calls for individualised or
‘guidance plus’ approaches using counselling and other intensive assessments
which accompany these and drive the personalisation of the support offered.
Any group of employees affected by restructuring will not be homogeneous, and
effective reintegration of workers to other work will need to respond to different
needs and capabilities. This will be supported by arrangements which customise
support to individuals to reflect those circumstances. Without this, the additional
benefit of the support provided will not be optimised and vulnerable groups may
continue to find themselves at greater disadvantage in the labour market.
Career guidance support in restructuring works best where it is based on
robust local and occupational labour market information and networks.

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