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HDA Case Studies

Multi-site / Multi Geography Career Transition / Outplacement Provision – Travel Operator/Airline

 

Background

The client is one of the world’s largest travel companies, employing over 80,000 employees worldwide. During 2004 plans were finalised for a series of major restructurings across the organisation, directly affecting operations and teams in the UK, across the Mediterranean and in Florida.

Restructuring elements included the rationalisation of brands, a UK Head Office relocation, the rationalisation of call centre facilities, the rationalisation of central services, and so on.

Businesses affected by the organisation’s restructuring included central services, IT infrastructure, specific holiday brands, holiday resorts in the Mediterranean (Greece, Italy, Spain) and Florida, and a holiday airline.

HDA successfully passed a stringent tender process with value-for-money, problem-solving and employer brand focus, and was commissioned by the client to support the career transition needs of up to 1200 employees based at approximately 20 sites over the course of 2005/6.

HDA Project

1. Staff Communication and Expectation Setting

HDA partnered with the client’s HR team to provide employee representatives and staff across the organisation with an overview of the support process, and a set of answers to likely ‘’Frequently Asked Questions’’ (FAQ’s) about the restructuring process, (timing, implications, etc), and the support that affected employees could expect.

HDA set up an online project planning and progress tool to provide the client’s HR team (20+ contacts) with a day-by-day update of project progress.

Information about HDA’s service was included on the client’s intranet site, with specific areas for employees and managers.

HDA met employee reps at all sites, set expectations with them about the service, and developed additional FAQ’s for specific groups likely to experience specific issues.

Finally, HDA ran a series of employee overview sessions at all UK sites, with all employees being encouraged to attend. Attendance was confirmed via an online booking process managed by HDA. On a number of occasions, homogenous groupings, such as the IT/Web Development team were addressed by industry specialists (commissioned by HDA) on the state of their industry, and career opportunities and constraints within it.

2. Outplacement/Career Transition Support – UK

Employees based at 12 client sites were comprehensively supported by HDA’s UK career coaching team, as were remote workers. In addition to providing one-to-one support, HDA contacted organisations and recruiters in the travel industry and generated large numbers of job leads at all levels; many of which led to successful placements elsewhere in the industry.

Despite per-person budget limitations given the size of the project, all employees supported by HDA’s career coaches were provided with unlimited e-mail and telephonic support for three months or more, in addition to their core support programme.

3. Outplacement/Career Transition Support – Mediterranean and Florida

Employees based at sometimes remote holiday resort locations in the Mediterranean were provided with slightly enhanced support by local HDA career coaching experts. Again, one-to-one support was augmented by telephone coaching and by active e-mail contact and collaboration on CV-writing, interview preparation, and so on. In cases, clients were settled locally, and in other clients were repatriated to the UK or to Germany.

Florida-based clients were given access to HDA’s large network of North American offices and resources. Again, telephone coaching proved a highly effective addition to face-to-face coaching.

Outcomes

HDA’s relationship with the client has been considered to be very successful, and is expected to continue for the foreseeable future. HDA’s ability to manage at scale and at high speed has given the client peace of mind about the handling of its leavers during a period of significant change and consolidation across its businesses.

As a result of HDA’s success with the client, other travel companies have referred career consultancy work to HDA.

Successful placements in the UK, across the Mediterranean, and in Florida have included:

• Successful placements at all levels in the travel and leisure industry
• Successful placements at all levels, elsewhere in commerce and the public sector
• Successful settlement in self-employment and business start-ups
• Successful career relocations and home-country repatriations

 

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