Sorry, I Am Not George Clooney – Confessions Of An Outplacement Consultant (Revisited)

I am revisiting a LinkedIn article that I wrote in 2018 to update the information.

With the pandemic forcing all of us to retreat to our streaming platform of choice, I had to pleasure of rewatching the movie Up In The Air.

For those that haven’t seen it, the movie is about a Ryan Bingham (played by George Clooney) who always lives on the road (or in the sky - hence the movie title) going from one city to the next, helping corporations downsize their employees. It is a thankless job whose only rewards are a good salary and the frequent traveler perks that come with non-stop flights, hotels, and rental cars. Ryan Bingham is obsessed with frequent flyer miles and wants to one day reach the pinnacle – 10 million miles.

As the character says:

"I'd be the seventh person to do it. More people have walked on the moon,"

While the term is not said in the movie, Ryan Bingham provides outplacement services.

Outplacement is not a household word and is not even that well known to many working in the corporate world. That is why I am amused when I get this reply from someone after I have told them what I do for a living.

"So you are sort of like George Clooney from that movie."

Well sort of. But not really

It's not always a bad thing when your profession is associated with a movie and a famous star. The comparisons could always be worse (think Jim Carrey as The Cable Guy). While it's flattering to be compared to a world-famous, handsome, and talented celebrity, the reality is something different.

So, how does the outplacement profession compare to what you see in Up In The Air?

Many of the scenes in the movie show Ryan Bingham telling people that their employment has ended.

This conversation is officially called a notification.

I have never seen a company delegate crucial conversations like this to an outside firm like mine. This is always the responsibility of someone in Human Resources, along with the individual's manager. In the movie, that responsibility was delegated to George Clooney (or later by a beleaguered Anna Kendrick).

I have been on-site, though during many notifications to meet with the terminated employees to explain what services my firm will provide. Like the movie, I have seen anger and denial, along with relief. My goal is to encourage them to reach out to my firm when they are ready so that we can help them move forward in their career transition. My goal is for every person to know that I will be there to help them on their journey, which is far different from the film’s portrayal.

Clooney was somewhat detached and lacked empathy during his conversations with the laid-off employees. This detachment was part of the movie's character development and to hype up the dramatic effect. In reality, what I see is that outplacement professionals genuinely care about their candidates and their careers. They make every effort to connect with their candidates and help them through the transition process towards their next career opportunity. After all, job loss is one of the most stressful events a person can face.

Up In The Air also had an interesting storyline where a promising millennial Natalie Keener (played by Anna Kendrick) introduces an innovation where the "termination assistance" can now be delivered virtually via Skype. Travel can then be eliminated, (which turns George Clooney's world upside down). The "remote-layoff" process is later scrapped due to it being too impersonal and being indirectly responsible for the suicide of a downsized employee.

Pre-COVID, it was infrequent that a layoff would be done by phone or virtual meeting. Fast forward to today, and virtual terminations are now the norm. These terminations can go well (Airbnb) or poorly (Bird Scooters). Doing a virtual layoff is hard; there are a lot of elements that need to be managed. I have seen that virtual layoffs do better when they are done one-on-one versus by group. While doing the notifications individually takes more time, it provides more respect to the individual (and reduces the bad news leaking out at the wrong time).

The Anna Kendrick character also introduces virtual outplacement.

While the movie portrays virtual outplacement as a failed concept, the reality is that virtual outplacement has proven to be very successful.

Virtual outplacement (phone or virtual platform) is embraced because it allows personal relationships to develop, provides effective communication channels, and can be more time productive (less commute time for the participant).

I should add that virtual outplacement (helping a participant with career transition services) is different from virtual notifications (firing employees virtually). My experience is that virtual outplacement works exceptionally well, while the jury is still out on ending someone's employment over a Zoom meeting.

Finally, Ryan Bingham also had a side hustle as a motivational speaker on careers. His semi-confessional "What's In Your Backpack?" speech talks about the virtues of living an uncluttered life free of unwanted relationships and possessions. This part of the movie is close to the truth.

Many outplacement consultants (like yours truly) speak on podcasts, conferences, and career ministries on a wide range of topics ranging from career management, job search, and leadership. We have great content but may lack a little of George Clooney's star power.

I hope that I continue to be asked the "so you are like George Clooney in that movie?" question because it helps me explain what outplacement truly is in a context that many people understand. 

About The Author

Patrick Lynch is the Vice President of Global Operations at Careerminds, a provider of affordable, outplacement 2.0 solutions for organizations that are downsizing. Outplacement 2.0 is the convergence of career consulting, e-learning, and online social collaboration as a means to connect unemployed individuals to a new opportunity more efficiently.

Patrick is also the proud President-Elect of SHRM-Atlanta, the premier HR association in Atlanta. SHRM-Atlanta dedicates itself to growing the skills and knowledge of HR professionals, developing business leadership competencies in our members, and leading in the development of best in class workforce and workplaces in the Greater Atlanta area.