Castille Resources, the Valletta-based recruiter, is to launch Malta’s first outplacement proposition to support clients seeking more appropriate options for team members who no longer fit their business structure.

The service – aimed at the technology and financial sectors and the senior talent bracket – is timely as firms continuously adapt to the changing business environment by remodelling their structures or adopting new technologies. Rather than abruptly terminating contracts or paying out compensation, the more responsible firms would rather preserve their employer brand by ensuring transitions are as least acrimonious and stressful as possible.

Besides redeployment, Castille Outplacement, as the service has been branded, will also offer coaching by the recruiter’s senior consultants.

“Castille Outplacement is about both employers and staff members,” Mr Camilleri told The Times Business. “However, the service will be offered to the employer who will finance it. Where companies turned to Castille to search and select talent for the new projects, they can now also turn to us to redeploy these professionals as they change shape in a very stable manner. Firms could be in the process of downsizing or pre-empting changes. They could also face situations in which teams fail to gel. We are not able to guarantee alternative employment so our placement effort is combined with a three-month job coaching programme.”

Mindful of the stress caused by unexpected changes to career paths, Castille’s consultants will coach professionals in job searching, CV writing, targeting the right posts, and similar skills.

Mr Camilleri explained the proposition should appeal to organisations for varying reasons. Firms could be involved in redundancy programmes, shedding ‘dead wood’, or possibly incorporating the service as part of a legal settlement.

With human resources such a major contributor to competitive advantage, firms are becoming increasingly proactive to preserve their reputations as employers, keen to keep morale within their organisations high.

Mr Camilleri emphasised that all players in the local jobs market were aware of the factors contributing to mobility and would not label candidates who had been let go by their previous employers.

“Companies understand that there is a market for all skills,” he explained. “Although very valid, they realise that some skills are no longer needed or prioritised by certain employers. We will also help professionals broach the issue in interviews.”