Negotiating outplacement in the case of contractual redundancy
- Sylvain Langellier
- il y a 4 jours
- 4 min de lecture
More and more contractual redundancy(1) are signed each year between employers and employees in order to end a relationship. While this type of separation allows employees to negotiate advantageous terms, they are nevertheless left without a job, looking for an opportunity to continue their career. Taking advantage of outplacement, a personalised support service to help find a new position, is a real asset. What are the main advantages? How to negotiate outplacement in the event of a contractual redundancy? Find out in this article.
Conventional redundancy, a fast-growing redundancy option
Contractual redundancy is a way of terminating employment contracts that is increasingly chosen by employers and employees. Requiring fewer formalities than redundancy for organisations, and offering more rights to employees than resignation, its use continues to grow in France: 246,000 contractual terminations were signed in 2010, compared with just over 500,000 in 2022 (1). This type of termination only concerns employees in permanent positions and can be proposed by either the employer or the employee.
Here are some examples of situations that may lead an employee to request a contractual termination:
a change in their personal life ;
a desire for career development, professional retraining or to set up a business;
conflict with a manager or colleague;
disagreements about the company's strategy;
dissatisfaction with the tasks or organisation of work.
Economic problems or relationship tensions are often at the origin of an employer proposing this means of ending a contract with an employee.
Once the two parties have agreed on the terms and conditions of the termination of the contract, a preliminary meeting must be organised to ensure that the arrangements are properly understood and that everyone's rights are respected.
A termination agreement sets out all the terms and conditions of the separation. It specifies in particular the date on which the employee will leave the company and the amount of compensation.
Various elements can also be negotiated at the time of departure, such as an outplacement service.
What are the advantages of outplacement in the event of a contractual redundancy?
Outplacement services, also known as external reclassification or professional repositioning, enable employees to manage the transition to a new job with greater peace of mind.
Suddenly finding yourself on the job market can be unsettling. But it is also a time for reflection. It's an opportunity to retrace your career path, analyse your skills and redefine your objectives. With the support of the outplacement consultant, candidates can refine their career plans and acquire concrete tools. They feel more confident as they go through the various stages of their search.
This time also allows the person to develop their network, especially if he never has implemented a networking strategy.
>> Interested in the networking topic? You might also like this article: Preparing for a networking event
For the company, offering its former employees support in finding a future job demonstrates its sense of responsibility towards its employees. It sends a positive signal to its teams and to future candidates. It also protects the company from potential conflicts and disputes linked to the employee's departure.
How do you negotiate an outplacement package in the event of a contractual redundancy?
If you want to ask your employer for an outplacement, we advise you to prepare your discussion carefully so that you can make your case as effectively as possible. Here are three steps to follow:
Step 1: Describe your career objective
Review your current situation: your strengths, but also your weaknesses in relation to the job market. What is your current career objective? Do you want to continue working in the same sector? Have you identified a need for training?
Step 2: Find out about the services offered by outplacement firms
Compare the offers from different outplacement firms and put their services under the microscope. Once you've selected several, make an appointment with their career development experts for a quick exchange of views. If you don't know where to start, you can ask them these questions first:
the content of the outplacement programme ;
the duration of the coaching ;
the modalities (location, distance learning options, etc.);
the experience of the career transition consultants ;
the firm's network;
the cost of the service.
For example, our outplacement firm offers the Networking Business Package: a unique programme dedicated to executives and senior managers, based on the power of networking. By orchestrating large-scale events for Executive Committee and Management Committee members (more than 150 events a year), we create numerous professional collaborations. To find out more about the programme.
Step 3: Build your case for funding your outplacement programme
Once you have gathered all the information you need, select the firm that best matches your needs and profile. You will be able to present to your employer the strengths of the service and how it can help you achieve your goal. Of course, the care you take in presenting your project will increase the chances that your application for funding will be successful.
If you would like more information about our outplacement programme, contact us to talk to a career transition professional.
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