Supporting those affected by Government redundancies

The word redundancy increasingly resonates with Australians as it continues to feature prominently in the media cycle. You may be experiencing a redundancy personally or, more than likely, know of somebody who is.

Career transition can be a challenging time. Institutions such as the Queensland State Government provide Transition Support Services through their Enhanced Employee Assistance Scheme and the federal government has provided a small amount of funding for job expos.

Trevor-Roberts can also help you, your colleagues, friends and family members by providing career transition support. This may involve identifying their career direction, developing a targeted job search strategy, writing an effective resume or enhancing interview skills.

We have created a Government Redundancies Resource Pod to assist individuals during this challenging time.

Please share this information with anybody you think will benefit from additional support as they experience or are involved at any level with career transition. Feel free to Contact us anytime with questions about how we can support you and others.

Pre-emptive layoffs

The difference between the current downturn and previous ones is that companies are laying off people in anticipation of bad times ahead. Redundancy has traditionally been a last resort when times are shown to be tough but now 'belt-tightening' is rampant. 

I'd say about half of the Outplacement (Career Transition) projects I'm currently involved with are pre-emptive strikes. 

This is somewhat intriguing as research shows that 2/3's of downsizings do not increase profits. While the immediate strategy can be justified, I wonder what will happen in 12-24 months when the market starts to pick up again? According to IBISWorld Chairman, Phil Ruthven, Australia will experience full employment (4.5% - 5.5% unemployment) for the next 25 years. 

Balancing the short term risk of profitability and the long term risk of organisational sustainability is a difficult one.