Workforce Restructuring Course

Lesson 1 • Types of Restructuring Models

Surveys major restructuring models including reductions in force, redeployment, and outsourcing. Enables advisers to match model to organisational context.

Lesson 2 • Stakeholder Landscape and Impact

Maps all parties affected by restructuring, from executives to frontline workers. Prepares advisers to anticipate competing interests and communication needs.

Lesson 3 • Defining Workforce Restructuring

Establishes precise definitions distinguishing restructuring from routine workforce changes. Grounds all subsequent analysis in shared terminology.

Lesson 4 • Ethical Principles in Restructuring

Introduces fairness, transparency, and dignity as non-negotiable advisory standards. Establishes the ethical baseline carried throughout the course.

Lesson 1 • Anti-Discrimination and Protected Classes

Examines how anti-discrimination law applies to selection decisions in restructuring. Teaches adverse impact analysis as a core compliance tool.

Lesson 2 • Severance and Final Pay Requirements

Details mandatory severance entitlements, final wage payment rules, and benefit continuation obligations. Ensures advisers can audit separation packages for compliance.

Lesson 3 • Collective Bargaining and Labour Agreements

Addresses obligations arising from collective agreements during restructuring events. Prepares advisers to coordinate with labour relations teams.

Lesson 4 • Release Agreements and Waiver Validity

Explains the legal requirements for enforceable separation agreements and waivers of claims. Enables advisers to review releases for structural defects.

Lesson 1 • Designing Objective Selection Criteria

Guides construction of role-based, skills-based, and performance-based selection matrices. Objectivity reduces legal exposure and employee grievances.

Lesson 2 • Position Elimination vs. Role Restructuring

Distinguishes between eliminating a position and restructuring its duties into other roles. Clarifies the legal and operational implications of each approach.

Lesson 3 • Adverse Impact Testing

Applies statistical methods to detect unintended discriminatory patterns in selection pools. Connects compliance obligations from Chapter 2 to practical data analysis.

Lesson 4 • Workforce Data Collection and Auditing

Teaches methods for gathering accurate headcount, skills, and performance data. Reliable data is the prerequisite for all selection and impact analysis.

Lesson 1 • Outplacement Services Integration

Explains how to select and embed outplacement services into separation packages. Outplacement reduces reputational risk and supports employee transition.

Lesson 2 • Package Costing and Budget Modelling

Teaches financial modelling of total separation costs across multiple scenarios. Enables advisers to present cost-benefit analyses to leadership.

Lesson 3 • Non-Compete and Confidentiality Provisions

Addresses the inclusion and enforceability of restrictive covenants in separation agreements. Balances business protection with employee mobility rights.

Lesson 4 • Benefits Continuation and Transition

Details health, retirement, and ancillary benefit options during the separation period. Ensures packages address total compensation, not just base pay.

Lesson 1 • Day-of-Event Execution Management

Provides a tactical playbook for managing notification day logistics across locations. Execution precision on notification day protects legal compliance and employee dignity.

Lesson 2 • Restructuring Project Scoping

Defines scope, objectives, constraints, and success metrics for a restructuring project. Clear scoping prevents scope creep and misaligned expectations.

Lesson 3 • Cross-Functional Team Coordination

Establishes governance structures and communication rhythms for multi-functional restructuring teams. Coordination quality determines whether workstreams converge on notification day.

Lesson 4 • Risk Identification and Mitigation

Builds a restructuring-specific risk register covering legal, operational, and reputational risks. Proactive risk management reduces costly mid-project surprises.

Lesson 1 • Survivor Communication and Engagement

Addresses messaging to employees who remain after restructuring to rebuild trust and focus. Survivor engagement directly affects post-restructuring productivity.

Lesson 2 • Communication Planning Fundamentals

Establishes the architecture of a restructuring communication plan across all audiences. A coordinated plan prevents information leaks and mixed messages.

Lesson 3 • Manager Preparation and Coaching

Equips managers to deliver notifications confidently and consistently. Manager readiness is the single greatest predictor of notification quality.

Lesson 4 • External and Media Communication

Covers press releases, investor statements, and community messaging during public restructurings. Protects organisational reputation and manages narrative control.

Lesson 1 • Resume and Interview Preparation

Teaches evidence-based resume writing and interview coaching techniques for displaced employees. Practical skill-building is the core deliverable of transition support.

Lesson 2 • Mental Health and Well-Being Support

Addresses the psychological impact of job loss and the support resources advisers should deploy. Well-being support reduces legal risk and protects organisational reputation.

Lesson 3 • Reskilling and Upskilling Pathways

Identifies reskilling options that align displaced workers with in-demand roles. Connects workforce analysis from Chapter 3 to individual development planning.

Lesson 4 • Career Transition Counselling

Covers individual career assessment, goal-setting, and job search strategy for displaced workers. Counselling quality directly affects re-employment speed and satisfaction.

Lesson 1 • Advising Senior Leadership Effectively

Develops skills for influencing executive decisions with data, framing, and credibility. Strategic advisers shape restructuring design, not just implement it.

Lesson 2 • Measuring Restructuring Outcomes

Defines metrics for evaluating the financial, operational, and human outcomes of restructuring. Evidence-based evaluation improves future restructuring design.

Lesson 3 • Organisational Culture and Trust Repair

Addresses the cultural damage restructuring causes and the interventions that rebuild trust. Culture repair is the foundation of post-restructuring performance recovery.

Lesson 4 • Building Organisational Restructuring Capability

Guides advisers in institutionalising restructuring knowledge so organisations respond faster next time. Capability building transforms reactive response into strategic readiness.