The pandemic will be remembered as a real transition of state. A watershed capable of dividing one world philosophy from another, and changing the course of history. Among the thousand transformations that are taking place and are being prepared, one in particular is crucial for millions of human beings, that which affects the world of work. Help can come from Outplacement. Things? I talk about it with an expert in the sector.
Hundreds of thousands of companies are destined for closure or bankruptcy. Others, those destined to survive, are expected to undergo a transformation, even a radical one, of their operational logic. The impact on employment levels is inevitable. A complex situation whose triajectory can already be glimpsed. And the worst backlash will be on the work of women and (even more so) mothers. Even before the coronavirus, the professional position of women was in serious difficulty. The figures leave no room for interpretation: in Italy, out of 9 million and 872 thousand employed, there are about 5,4 million mothers. More than 50% of them have at least one child under the age of 151. Not infrequently, however, they are engaged in sectors that have suffered a real meltdown in this period, such as tourism and travel, where the "pink share" stands at 54%2 .
Organize hope
In situations that seem desperate, however, only organization can help manage: even managing a disaster. That's what he thinks Annadebora Morabito, expert in outplacement, training and coaching with specific attention to the female world. Outplacement is a support service for the relocation of workers. Someone takes care of collecting information about us well, testing our abilities and organizing them in order to make us more visible to the world of work: especially in periods of confusion and with little visibility it could be a service that makes the difference.
The password is to give hope an organization. It is necessary to recover the sense of construction, desire and awareness of how to transform one's ambition into a concrete goal.
“We need to clarify ourselves in terms of future projects, aim to tell ourselves effectively on a CV and in interviews, and study a real personal branding strategy,” says Morabito. “Take advantage of the opportunities offered by a tool like Linkedin and every channel useful for searching for new professional opportunities such as Head Hunter, APL, announcements, spontaneous applications, networks. It may seem superfluous to point this out, but a fulfilled mother is a happier mother, especially if she can carve out space for herself to cultivate her own desires."
The profile of the near future, in other words, is to build yourself not starting from the job you want to achieve, but starting from your technical background. Because, we know, the boundaries of work duties they become increasingly labile and the contribution of soft skills becomes fundamental. There are many sectors that in the midst of this epochal change will need sensitive, versatile and intelligent figures. The large e-commerce sector, for example, which can provide space both in the management of infrastructure and in the marketing of products that many entrepreneurs and artisans can already offer to the public.
An era in which smart working, by eliminating boundaries and the need for "fixed" work spaces, can also offer an opportunity to harmonize family life with professional life.
What hypotheses for the near future?
The picture is not the most comforting. “It is possible to hypothesize a drop in employment in Italy for next winter, following the halt in layoffs by companies". says Morabito. “To avoid dramatic outcomes it is necessary to immediately focus everything on the second meaning of crisis, that of 'opportunity'. The dispassionate advice is to think about new projects, proactively promoting your network."
What is the role that your job can play?
“To help employees who may need to find a new job, outplacement is a fundamental relocation service. The numbers speak for themselves and the data3 they tell us that in 6 months, out of a total of 10.000 people taken in charge, 84% identify a solution commensurate with their expectations."
Of course, the post-Covid-19 crisis could lengthen relocation times. Relying on industry experts, however, could considerably increase the opportunities to find new jobs compared to DIY.
1 source: Employment consultants study foundation – 2 source: Federalberghi / Fipe - 3 source: Aiso - Italian Association of Outplacement Companies
