Coaching in the field of career transition support can make a profound impact for companies and their people during redundancies. We had the privilege to work with Specsavers in this area and witnessed the effects first hand.
In the height of lockdown in April 2020, Specsavers approached us to explore how we could partner to create an outplacement transition programme.
Specsavers was heading into a rightsizing project to respond to the impact of COVID-19. It needed to take the challenging step of preparing to let people go through redundancy. For a highly successful and growing business, this had hit hard and redundancies had not been something it had ever needed to do at scale. It was a new learning curve for the business.
Unfulfilled by what was on offer in the outplacement market, especially when it came to affordability and the need to adapt to the remote context brought about by social distancing, it quickly became clear where and how our Mindbeat mobile coaching platform, webinars and virtual coaching service could offer support.
Letting people go from your business is a tough decision under any circumstance. To approach this during lockdown and after a period of massive uncertainty needed a great deal of careful planning. Add remote working, furlough and the world economy being tipped upside down – we knew we faced an intense and unprecedented situation.
“One of, if not the strongest partnership approaches I’ve had the pleasure of being involved in. Thank you Mindbeat for your support.”
Becky Craig, Head of People Engagement & Development, Specsavers
Specsavers didn’t want to simply wash its hands of the outplacement service, it wanted to co-create an approach to be certain it had done everything possible to help its leavers experience a personal, tailored and flexible transition programme. The goal was for its valued colleagues to make their departure feeling cared for and with a lasting positive feeling about their brand – feeling good about a potential return when tides turned.
This was truly heart-warming and inspiring to hear. Instantly we felt a strong alignment with our purpose and values at Mindbeat.
We had a mutual belief that it was critical to support people through empowering them and helping them to build confidence during these devastating economic times. With that backdrop we partnered together to create a programme which is now live and supporting over 300 people.
“How humbling it is to be reminded that coaching skills are so valued by our clients during a transition like this.”
Results
A few weeks into the programme going live, we knew we were doing the right things. After one of the first round of webinars – our Head of Coaching and Product Design Lead were visibly moved and remarked how they had just “witnessed first-hand how incredibly powerful and transformative our support is” and “how humbling it is to be reminded that coaching skills are so valued by our clients during a transition like this”.
Embarking on a redundancy process is a daunting task for any company. The impact of letting people go is felt not only by the individual but also by the business as a whole. Difficult professional decisions have a personal impact, so it’s crucial that this process is humanised and structured.
Mindbeat methodology
Redundancy should be managed with a high degree of empathy and be mindful of the wellbeing of those affected. Introducing an experienced professional with the right skill-set helps to facilitate the transitioning out of the workforce. Coaching offers support and professional development to all those impacted by the redundancy process.
Our Outplacement Support Programme caters for the needs of both your business and those that are going through redundancy. Through a mix of coaching and resources, we can help individuals adjust to change and build confidence to succeed with career transition. Regular reviews are also put in place with your business to make sure the programme is running successfully.