Page 42 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

more proactive support addressed to a larger range of employees and its effects,
in both Germany and Sweden, linked to processes of collective bargaining and
social dialogue which seemed less well developed in this respect elsewhere.
Looking at a narrower range of experience, Vogler-Ludwig (2006) has come to
similar conclusions about the utility and effectiveness of the German approach to
company-level negotiated outplacement within transfer companies. Stakeholder
feedback to this review suggests that empirical assessments here are limited and
have been held back by the inherently competitive nature of externally-sourced
services such as outplacement. More evidence on outplacement practices is
available where there are social partnership or negotiated transfer arrangements
providing such services direct, showing highly cost-effective practice (Biewen,
2006; Knuth, 2007) in countries such as Germany.
Reconciling the three interrelated issues of business development (whereby
companies have a focus on their ‘bottom line’), workforce development (where
the skills of the workforce are developed to maximise business development and
profitability), and individual career development (whereby individual employees
are seeking to fulfil their own goals and aspirations through effective career
management), is a complex issue (Bysshe, 2006). According to a Cedefop report
on career development at work, key trends include the lack of an effective
strategy for providing career development opportunities to the workforce; the
increasing role for intermediary organisations, such as trade unions, in delivering
career development to employed people; and the importance of individuals being
able to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for successful career
management (Cedefop, 2008a). The Cedefop report suggested that much
remains to be done to deliver the best career development to people in
employment and that governments, and social partners, urgently need to explore
ways of working together effectively.
However, to these forms of adjustment, can be added others determined at
enterprise level, which usually do not include any career guidance support and
may dominate current practice. Towards the middle of the 20th century, four main
instruments were used to deal with restructuring and relocations: subsidies to
maintain activity and employment; short term restructuring of working hours to
reduce working time; natural wastage, in particular not replacing or renewing the
workforce, and early retirement schemes (McKersie and Sengenberger, 1983;
Gazier, 2005). This combination of instruments dominated restructuring in
developed countries between the 1950s and the 1970s. As labour market
activation becomes the watchword across Europe, early retirement nevertheless
seems to keep its appeal in restructuring policies, despite its limitations and its

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