Employees in outplacement services, do they really get the help they need?

Outplacement is often provided by organisations to people when they are retrenched, but little is understood about the processes of outplacement, or how 'retrenchees' experience it. Further, the experiences of those who are retrenched are often not researched, as they no longer belong to the organisation that pays for the outplacement and the outplacement agencies' focus is to assist them to find new employment. This paper investigates retrenchees' experiences with outplacement and finds the focus of the experience is on finding new work, and that their experiences are not always positive. While they are offered services other than job-seeking skills, these services may not provide the support that they need. The paper concludes by recommending that services be tailored to focus on individual needs, based on personal assessment conducted between the retrenchee and outplacement provider.