Page 99 - Socially-responsible-restructuring-Effective-strategies-for-supporting-redundant-workers

Socially responsible restructuring
Effective strategies for supporting redundant workers

those affected may be referred to professional therapists for further psychological
assistance, outside the transfer measures.
The services are provided on-site by AutoVision in the case of outplacement
and transfer agencies. Activities in transfer companies, in contrast, take place at
separate premises to stress that for the employees, the new ‘job content’ is to
find new work. The AutoVision staff conducting the activities consist mainly of HR
specialists, psychologists, pedagogues and lawyers. Many of them have their
own experience with non-linear careers and are usually older than 35 years,
which gives them higher credibility in the eyes of the participants in restructuring
measures. Job application training, qualification measures and business start-up
training are frequently carried out in cooperation with external partners. Specific
services offered to individuals involve a personalised combination of measures:
(a) individual profiling and aptitude tests are conducted on-site before starting a
transfer company, typically taking around two days. At this point, employees
are assigned a personal adviser who will accompany them through the
whole transfer process;
(b) the orientation phase is carried out in the two weeks at the transfer
company, individually or in group sessions. Participants enlarge their
occupational perspective, analyse the labour market, reflect on possible
alternatives to the former job characteristics, and discuss monetary
expectations and needs, thus contributing to sectoral and geographical
mobility;
(c) the career planning results in an agreement on objectives and an alternative
plan is also elaborated. Individual face-to-face discussions with the personal
adviser, at least once a month, take between one and two hours;
(d) regular group discussions and workshops may deal with job search and
interview techniques, IT training and business start-up, if appropriate. Within
the advice and training in business start-up, a decisive aspect is the
facilitation of contacts to possible business partners. An important aim here
is to build up motivation for commitment and a proactive attitude in job
search;
(e) the job search includes tapping of information resources and networks,
matching employees to possible job offers and advice in application
strategies. An integrated IT system covering all of AutoVision’s HR services
is employed for this assistance, which manages job offers and application
documents, and can be accessed by the redundant employees, as well as
by employers;
(f) work placements (internships) are organised in cooperation with potential
employing companies, to ‘try out’ prospective employment fields. A slightly

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