Work. Made Better. Series
By Alan Kearns, Founder, CareerJoy
In a year where AI is reshaping roles, hybrid work is still testing norms, and Canadian employees are more vocal about organizational values, companies’ handling of layoffs is under sharper scrutiny than ever before.
When an organization chooses an outplacement partner, it’s not just selecting a service — it’s making a statement about how it treats people, how it manages risk, and what kind of employer it intends to be in the future.
For many HR leaders, the choice comes down to two broad options: a multinational brand with a vast global footprint, or a purpose-built Canadian firm with deep local roots. In this article, we examine the practical, legal, and cultural implications of selecting between CareerJoy and one of the industry’s best-known players, LHH.
Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) is a global name in outplacement. Backed by the Adecco Group, it offers standardized transition programs in dozens of countries. For organizations with operations in the U.S., Europe, or Asia, this level of infrastructure is reassuring.
But in practice, Canadian HR leaders often face real trade-offs with global firms:
While these challenges may be acceptable in specific enterprise environments, they become liabilities in high-stakes transitions, particularly when supporting senior leaders, public sector teams, or culturally specific populations.
CareerJoy operates from a different starting point. As a 100% Canadian-owned and operated firm, our approach to outplacement is shaped by:
In an era where values alignment, DEI integrity, and psychological safety are part of the employer brand, choosing a Canadian partner is not just a patriotic decision — it’s a strategic one.
Outplacement doesn’t just influence how employees find new roles; it also impacts their overall career trajectory. It also affects how they leave and how they feel about their former employer afterward.
In Canadian legal contexts, especially in Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec, offering tailored, culturally competent, and language-appropriate outplacement can significantly reduce exposure to wrongful dismissal claims or reputational backlash. For example:
By contrast, Canadian firms with regional depth and legal literacy offer more than just empathy — they provide insulation. Properly delivered outplacement is a form of risk management.
Both LHH and CareerJoy offer testimonials. Both publish case studies. But in Canada, there’s a distinct tone shift when reading what clients say about working with a firm like CareerJoy.
“They were with me the whole way — from the moment I got the news to the first day of my new role. It wasn’t just about finding a job; it was about finding a fulfilling career. It was about finding my confidence again.”
— Mark L., Calgary (from Google Reviews)
“I never felt like a number. They got who I was and what I wanted next. It made all the difference.”
— Fatima A., Toronto
These aren’t scripted lines from slide decks. They’re real reflections on human experience — something that’s harder to come by when coaching is fragmented across continents.
In our experience, the real differentiator isn’t just service quality — it’s fit.
CareerJoy’s structure allows us to adapt quickly:
By contrast, global firms often prioritize process over personalization. What works in New Jersey may not work in Newfoundland. And while the platform may be polished, the coaching may feel distant.
One of the most overlooked yet critical elements of outplacement success is coach continuity.
When an employee opens up to a career coach — especially in moments of grief, self-doubt, or significant life change — that trust needs to be nurtured. Being transferred mid-process or bounced between rotating consultants can undermine progress and stall recovery.
CareerJoy’s coaching model is built around one consistent relationship, supported by a national team, and enhanced — not replaced — by technology. It’s not about scaling people out. It’s about keeping people connected.
LHH has invested heavily in digital platforms — some impressive in scope, others reliant on generic content. CareerJoy has invested, too — but with a different goal. Not to reduce human involvement, but to amplify its effectiveness.
Our clients benefit from:
But the core of our model remains human. And it’s the combination — smart AI, stronger humans — that delivers the best results.
If your organization is facing layoffs, restructuring, or role eliminations — and you’re deciding how best to support transitioning employees — the decision you make about your outplacement provider will shape not just exits, but perceptions.
Every departure is an opportunity to protect your brand, reinforce your values, and minimize legal risk. It’s also a moment that your employees, past and present, will remember.
If your goal is to handle layoffs with empathy, professionalism, and Canadian integrity, it may be time to rethink defaulting to a global vendor.
Choosing an outplacement partner isn’t just about contracts; it’s also about finding the right fit. It’s about trust, continuity, and context. It’s about who understands your people — and your values — in a uniquely Canadian environment.
Let’s talk about what works here. And what truly supports the people who’ve helped build your organization?
CareerJoy is Canada’s national people & culture firm — trusted by organizations like The Government of Canada, Shopify, World Vision, BMW, YMCA, and BGC Canada. As an APEX partner with a 4.7 Google rating, we support career transitions, leadership development, and hybrid coaching across every sector.
Human-first. AI-smart. 100% Canadian. Global reach. Proven results.
Contact Alan Kearns, Founder at alan.kearns@careerjoy.com or 1-877-256-2569.
Happy Friday,
A few years ago, I woke up to find a strange rash across one side of my face and a painful, scratchy feeling in my right eye. At first, I thought it was allergies or fatigue, but something about the combination felt off. Within hours, I was sitting in the emergency room. The attending doctor looked concerned & perplexed, and mentioned the word “stroke.” That single word was enough to make my heart race.
Then another physician walked in, examined my eye, and said quietly, “I think we know what this is.” It turned out to be a rare virus that, if untreated, could lead to vision loss within forty-eight hours. The treatment plan was clear. Medication was started immediately.
Within minutes, I felt the shift from fear to relief.
Nothing about my physical condition had changed, but everything inside me did. When the problem had a name, I could stop imagining every worst-case scenario. I could see the path forward.
In that quiet hospital room, I realized something I’ve seen repeatedly in leadership: Fear fills the space between not knowing and knowing. Once you have language for what’s happening, the fog lifts, whether you’re a patient, a parent, or a leader trying to steady a team through change.
This idea recently resurfaced in a fascinating paper by Dr. Awais Aftab and philosopher Alan Levinovitz . They call it the “Rumpelstiltskin Effect”, borrowing from the Brothers Grimm story in which a young woman is freed from the power of a malicious spirit only after she learns his name.
Across centuries and cultures, humans have experienced relief and empowerment when a problem receives an official name. In medicine, a diagnosis brings direction. In leadership, naming a challenge clearly and without judgment often marks the turning point from anxiety to action.
Dr. Aftab describes it as a psychological counterpart to the placebo effect. Even before treatment begins, naming a condition gives a sense of meaning and control. It reframes confusion into understanding. It reminds us that what we face is not random or personal but identifiable and, therefore, manageable.
As Brené Brown puts it, “Language is our portal to meaning-making. Naming an experience doesn’t give it power; it gives us power over it.”
In organizational life, this is one of the most underappreciated leadership skills.
Many leaders feel pressure to fix things quickly: an underperforming project, a disengaged team, a sideways client relationship. The instinct is to act, to move, to show progress. But diagnosis always comes before prescription.
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report found that only 21 percent of employees strongly agree that their leaders communicate effectively about change. Yet when people feel their leaders truly understand the situation, the real problem behind the symptoms, engagement scores rise by nearly 30 percent.
Clarity is not a luxury. It is a performance driver.
Organizations often waste enormous energy treating symptoms without a precise diagnosis, resulting in more meetings, new software, and yet another reorganization. The core issue remains unnamed, and so the cycle continues. During a national restructuring project, one senior HR leader once told me, “We had all the right tools but were solving the wrong problem.”
A good diagnosis does not just identify what’s wrong; it helps everyone agree on what’s true. And that shared truth creates momentum.
The Rumpelstiltskin Effect is not limited to medicine or management; it also applies to other fields. It is deeply human.
At University College Dublin , researcher Cliodhna O’Connor and her team analyzed almost 1,900 accounts from adults with autism diagnoses. They found that most described the experience as a “revelation.” The word came up repeatedly. For many, the diagnosis reframed years of confusion. Instead of feeling “broken” or “wrong,” they felt recognized.
That sense of recognition, of having one’s experience named and understood, builds trust inside teams. When a leader listens carefully and says, “This isn’t about resistance, this is about fatigue,” or “This isn’t poor performance, it’s unclear priorities,” something shifts.
The team moves from defensiveness to dialogue.
It is not the same as solving the issue, but it opens the space for solutions.
The best leaders operate like skilled diagnostic thinkers. They don’t rush to treat. They listen, observe, and test their assumptions. They create psychological safety so others can share what they see without fear. They name patterns that others sense but cannot articulate.
In Canada, research from the Conference Board shows that one in three employees say the most significant barrier to their performance is “unclear expectations or leadership direction.” That is not a motivation problem. It is a diagnosis problem.
The ability to name what’s happening and put clear language to the fog of frustration separates reactive leadership from reflective leadership. It turns guesswork into insight.
I’ve seen it in countless organizations we partner with. A technology team struggling with burnout realizes that the real issue is not the workload itself, but rather the constant context switching that accompanies it. A nonprofit facing turnover discovers that the problem isn’t compensation, but rather a lack of role clarity. A government department under pressure to modernize discovers the friction is not resistance to AI but fear of being left behind.
One Canadian manufacturing firm we worked with had been struggling with chronic turnover on a specific production line. Leadership assumed it was about pay. But when we helped them listen and identify the real issue—unpredictable shift rotations disrupting family life—the solution shifted from compensation to stability. Within three months, retention improved by 24 percent.
Once those patterns have names, leaders can act with precision and effectiveness.
Psychological safety, the belief that one can speak up without fear, is built on this foundation. Trust grows when leaders are honest about what’s unclear and invite others to help define it. A 2024 Deloitte study found that teams with high psychological safety are 67 percent more likely to exceed performance targets.
In this sense, diagnosis is not just technical; it is relational. It tells people, “You can tell the truth here.”
When my own health scare was finally named, I remember the relief of thinking, Okay, now we know what we’re fighting. That sentence changed everything.
The same emotional transformation happens inside organizations when clarity replaces uncertainty. According to Gallup, employees who understand their purpose are 4.6 times more likely to feel engaged. Teams that report clear goals and transparent communication experience 70 percent fewer safety incidents and 20 percent higher profitability.
Behind every statistic is the same psychological mechanism. People can work effectively when they understand the problem at hand. Clarity reduces anxiety. Understanding builds trust. Naming builds focus.
And trust, once established, becomes the foundation for resilience.
The need for diagnostic leadership is growing in a world shaped by AI, hybrid work, and constant change. Algorithms can identify patterns faster than humans, but only leaders can name their meaning.
Data can tell you what is happening, but only human insight can interpret why. AI may flag a dip in engagement, but it takes a conversation to uncover that the real issue is burnout, confusion, or fear of irrelevance.
As AI systems surface more data about performance, engagement, and sentiment, the leaders who will stand out are those who can interpret that data with empathy and who see patterns and people. That is what being Human-First and AI-Smart truly means.
Leadership in this new era is not about being the expert with all the answers. It is about being the curious listener who asks the right questions and gives things their proper names.
From Naming to Healing
Dr. Levinovitz and Dr. Aftab noted that when people finally learn their condition, the emotional relief resembles the ancient moment in the Rumpelstiltskin tale: the power of the unknown breaks when the name is spoken aloud.
That moment of naming is often the first step in the healing process.
For teams, it can mean the end of months of miscommunication. For organizations, it can mean the beginning of a turnaround. For individuals, it can mean a shift from self-blame to self-awareness and understanding.
Every leader has the opportunity to create those moments. It starts by asking, “What is happening here?” and being willing to listen until the true answer emerges.
A Reflection for the Weekend
This weekend, consider where you might apply the Rumpelstiltskin Effect in your leadership.
Because once you can name it, you can understand it. Once you know it, you can act. And once you act, you can lead with confidence again.
Just as that doctor helped me name what was happening so my healing could begin, leaders who help others find the right name for what they’re facing create the same shift, from fear to focus, from uncertainty to hope.
That is the quiet magic of leadership.
Along the road with you,
P.S. Discover what’s shaping Canadian workplaces in the 2025 Work. Made Better. Report: Download the Work Made Better Report
P.P.S. Support transitions with dignity. Connect with Matt Goff , VP Professional Services, at 1-877-256-2569 or explore CareerJoy’s Outplacement Solutions.
