OUTPLACEMENT

noun Also written out-placement (Business World) Assistance in finding a new job after redundancy, given to an employee by the employer making him or her redundant or by a special outside service; hence, euphemistically, the act of making someone redundant, 'dehiring'. Etymology: Formed by adding the prefix out- to placement; placing (a person) out rather than within one's own staff. History and Usage: Outplacement has been a standard term in the US business world since the early seventies, but only became current in the UK in the mid eighties. The verb outplace has a similar history to outplacement; derivatives such as the adjective outplaced and the agent noun outplacer (a person or firm that does the outplacement) arose in the early eighties. If you ever do get canned...you might count yourself lucky to be placed in the hands of the outplacers. Forbes 19 Jan. 1981, p. 77 Career counselling--or 'outplacement', as the service is called when it is pitched instead at companies that are trying to chop senior executives as mercifully as possible. Sunday Times 26 July 1987, p. 69 Up to 150 staff will be 'outplaced', with the group administrative services unit and the professional services unit (lawyers) being hardest hit. Financial Review (Sydney) 28 Aug. 1987, p. 18