Outplacement varies radically across Europe

Overall, the &quotEuropean&quot concept of outplacement involves looking at the whole of life, reassessing priorities and work-life balance. This contrasts with a far more mechanistic approach in the US and Japan, he said in a speech at an HR conference in London called Employing People in Europe.

But there is no single approach to managing departures in Europe, McRae said. Experience shows it is important to respect local traditions as well as laws.

He said: &quotWe have come to recognise that the differences between countries in Europe actually matter, because they give us our sense of identity, our individuality - and during times of redundancy, relocation and restructuring we need more, not less affirmation of our individuality.&quot

Cultural expectations differ, he said. In the Netherlands and in Belgium it has become commonplace for the courts to offer outplacement to staff who have been made redundant.

In Sweden, Denmark, Ireland and large companies in the UK, providing outplacement is &quotalmost common practice.&quot Many people in the UK and Ireland view outplacement as a matter-of-fact process to help someone move from A to B quickly and profitably.

In France, however, outplacement is typically seen as &quota real chance to re-evaluate life, a radical new opportunity,&quot he said. On the other hand, in Italy and Spain it is often seen as a hand-holding need for people who feel &quotvery uncertain, very vulnerable and who require a lot of support.&quot

As a service, outplacement is also at very different stages of development in different European countries. It is in its &quotinfancy&quot in Poland, Greece and Turkey, in its &quotchildhood&quot in Italy and Spain and in a &quotproblem teenager&quot phase in Germany and Austria.

These last two markets have a basic understanding of and &quotgrudging dependency&quot on outplacement services, but struggle to accept them and work well within them, said McRae..

An &quotadult&quot acceptance of outplacement as a way to assist both people and organisations through change is found in France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Scandinavia.

In the UK and Ireland, perhaps as a &quotmid-life crisis,&quot a mature market is re-evaluating itself in a bid not to repeat the excesses of earlier downsizing, he said.

Amid a breathtaking pace of change, &quotthe most important feature of outplacement is that is aligns the individual with the organisational needs, often putting them more closely in touch for the first time,&quot said McRae.