Having a good outplacement provider is a bit like having house insurance. With insurance you hope you never need to use it, but when your house gets burgled and you feel devastated – you are so glad you have it. The thought of insurance helps you get over the initial shock and anguish, then the money helps you replace what was taken and move forward more positively.

I tend to think of outplacement in the same way. From an organisational perspective you hope you don’t need to use our services but when you do, you are glad you have us. This was brought home to me in a very real way the other day when someone I had provided career transition support to, who was devastated when she heard her role was being made redundant, called me to tell me about her new role. She was so excited and full of optimism and joy, it was infectious to hear plus there was a whole lot of relief in her voice.  

I want you to imagine, you were this person, perhaps for some, you have in fact been this person. She had a plan for her life and career, prior to being violently shoved off that track through no fault of her own. The shock was devastating for her. When we first met, she was angry, sad, terrified, frustrated, bitter and fearful – all rolled into one. Through our work, she came to see this as an opportunity to think about what she really wanted to do and to learn how to go out and get that for herself. She developed her skills, her confidence and got her ‘mojo’ back – her words not mine.

Speaking of words, when she called to announce her new job, she proceeded to tell me how the outplacement had really helped her. I felt incredibly humbled. She told me that I literally saved her life. She felt she couldn’t see what to do nor envisage a way to start to move forward prior to meeting with me. She said, I helped her realise she wasn’t a ‘failure’ – again her words, not mine. She learnt what to say to her family and friends without feeling embarrassed. She then started to see all her strengths and what she had achieved in her career that was of value to others. She started to speak positively about herself without stumbling. She developed skills and confidence in many ways. From my perspective, I also looked forward to our sessions as she was a wonderful human being, whose company I enjoyed.

If you are in Human Resources or are a Head of People, or a Senior Manager, I am telling you this, not to say how great I am, but to say how great outplacement is and how it really does help those we work with in a deep and profound manner. According to a 2018, Workplace Trends survey, 75% see employers who provide outplacement as attractive and something they consider when making a job acceptance decision.   Maybe candidates think about outplacement like insurance too.

If your organisation doesn’t provide outplacement, I implore you to consider it, I don’t even care if you don’t use Selection Partners. I do care however that you provide this service because I see firsthand know this truly helps people and that’s got to be a good thing.  

If you attend the summit unlike many conferences you won’t be able to sit back quietly and zone out or attend without actually meeting anyone. This summit has been designed to be interactive; you will learn about a topic then have the opportunity to think about what that means for you and your organisation, you can share with others, participate in activities and then consider how you can apply this for you and your organisation.

The theme is learn, think and do!

The summit is focused on innovation, driving systemic change and shaping the future.

Summit Themes: • Solving the big challenges and diversity of thinking• Inclusion and exclusion in the context of Leadership, Culture and Gender • Getting to the heart of racism and racial inequity • Using the Victorian Charter of Human Rights as a framework for emerging D&I activity • How to implement best practice in diversity and inclusion

The summit will be facilitated to make it safe, fun and exciting for the participants.

Our speakers bring great expertise and insights including;

Juliet Bourke, Deloitte – she will speak about the big challenges and drivers in diversity and inclusion nationally and internationally and share who is doing cutting edge work. Helping us understand how to make an impact that matters. We will discuss The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities charter. Helping us consider human rights when developing policies, delivering services and making decisions. We will examine the employer’s responsibilities in relation to eliminating violence against women, age, disability and mental health.

We will hear from three organisations nab, St Barbara and AECOM about their initiatives in Diversity and inclusion, then hear from three people with lived experience of diversity. We then have an opportunity to ask questions of any of our panel.

Malcom Fiahlo will share with us how to have COURAGEOUS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RACE. Often a taboo subject, Courageous Conversations uses stories to discuss the issues of cultural diversity, racism and community harmony. He will help us to raise our racial consciousness and give us key skills to develop our cultural competency.

Jennifer Whelan will discuss the common myths that continue to hold back progress, including myths around merit, the ideal employee, and the nature of work. Jennifer will outline key focus areas for accelerating the pace of progress, and offer practical insights from her work with Australian organisations.

This is a summit about learning, thinking and implementing. We want to inspire everyone to not just listen and learn but to think then do. Join us?

WHEN Thursday, 18 August 2016 from 8:15 AM to 5:30 PM (AEST) WHERE NAB – 700 Bourke Street, Docklands, VIC INVESTMENT Early bird $350 before 18th July 2016 $450 afterwards or for a table of 8 people $2,800

If you only go to one conference this year, please make it the EEON Summit – Emerging themes in diversity & Inclusion. To book and reserve your place click http://bit.ly/23XV3FX Places are strictly limited please book now to avoid disappointment.