Challenger, Gray & Christmas Explained

Challenger, Gray & Christmas
Type:Outplacement and Career Transition Services
Founder:James E. Challenger
Area Served:North America and globally
Key People:John A. Challenger (CEO)
Services:Outplacement Services, Executive Coaching
Foundation: in Chicago, Illinois, United States
Locations:Offices throughout North America

Challenger, Gray & Christmas is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United States and is the first executive outplacement firm in the US. It has offices throughout North America. James E. Challenger[1] is the founder of the company. The Society for Human Resource Management recognized him in 1996 as the creator and pioneer of the outplacement field.James E. Challenger, the company's founder, spent years trying to persuade companies that it was good business to be nice to people heading involuntarily out the door.[2]

In 2003, John A. Challenger gave testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Small Business[3] on the issue of permanent job loss in a global economy. In 2002, The Wall Street Journal invited Challenger to address the issue in a bylined article that appeared in The Journal on June 25, 2002. He served on the labor/human resource committee of The Federal Reserve Bank of for two three-year terms.

Early years

In 1977, Challenger, Gray & Christmas was recognized among the oldest and largest outplacement firms in the country. The earliest major customers of Challenger, Gray & Christmas included Motorola Inc., McDonald's, United Airlines, Quaker Oats Company and Sears Roebuck & Company.[4]

In 1961, James Challenger was dismissed from his law firm position for taking time off. In 1966, he founded the Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

He devised a training, counseling, and support program. He told UPI’s Cathy Lewandowski in 1983: “There is no such thing as total job security today. Any individual, no matter what position, should be ready to prepare a clearly defined alternative plan which can be implemented in case of termination.''

Publications

"Outplacement" by James Challenger, 1994.[5]

"The Challenger Guide: Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals" by James Challenger, 2000.[6]

Events and initiatives

Since 1985, Challenger has held a 2-day annual Career Help Hotline, also called Call-In Days.[7] [8] Coaches give advice on:

The hotline does not place callers with new employers, nor can its coaches review individual résumés.

Company goals

The company's primary goal is to make the transition to reemployment easier for displaced workers.[9] The company states it specializes in sponsoring business benefits and services in the following areas: 1) Communication Strategy & Timing, 2) Phase Out/Shut Down 3) Community Awareness 4) Employee Retention 5) Contingency Planning, 6) Security and 7) Public Agency Involvement.[10]

Challenger Job Cuts Report

The media has covered the company extensively since the late-1970s.[11] As the concept of lifetime employment started to come to an end in the 1980s and ‘90s, founder James Challenger was a critical voice in the national press on the responsibility of companies to help their former workers after a layoff. In 1993, Challenger founded the Challenger Layoff Report which publishes the number of job cuts announced by companies month-by-month.

Exclusive research

Challenger's research on job cut announcements by US-based employers is used by economists on the labor market.[12] [13] [14] [15] It is regarded as an economic indicator.[16]

The firm also conducts research on chief executive officer turnover.[17] [18] [19] [20]

The firm conducts regular surveys and issues reports on the state of the economy, employment, job-seeking, layoffs and executive compensation. It conducts one-off surveys on such subjects as workplace bullying, lost productivity due to the Super Bowl, working women[21] and the impact of MeToo on the workplace.[22]

The firm was cited by Fortune magazine in 2018 for its study on office romance in the age of Metoo.[23]

Other research includes the cost of the 2007 "March Madness" on the productivity of US businesses,[24] the flat rate of hiring seasonal workers in 2011,[25] declining rate of teen employment in 2012,[26] rising planned layoffs at the U.S. companies in 2013.[27] The firm was once awarded $5 million federal contract from the US Navy's Chief of Naval Installations Milling, Tennessee, for professional, scientific and technical services.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: James Challenger, who founded Chicago firm that helped workers find their footing after layoffs, has died at 93. O'Donnell. Maureen. 2019-09-12. Chicago Sun-Times. 2019-10-09.
  2. News: James Challenger Helped Create Market for Outplacement Services. Hagerty. James R.. Wall Street Journal. 20 September 2019. 2019-10-21.
  3. Web site: THE GLOBALIZATION OF WHITE-COLLAR JOBS: CAN AMERICA LOSE THESE JOBS AND STILL PROSPER? - HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - June 2003. June 18, 2003. Govinfo.gov. October 22, 2019.
  4. News: Getting Fired With Style. MacHlowitz. Marilyn M.. 1977-08-14. The New York Times. 2019-10-21. 0362-4331.
  5. Book: Challenger, James E.. Outplacement. 1994. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, inc.. 9780964148505.
  6. Book: Challenger, James E.. The Challenger Guide: Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals. June 2000. McGraw-Hill Trade. 9780809298754.
  7. Web site: Need job hunting advice? Call Challenger's free 'Help Line' Dec. 26-27. Pounds. Marcia Heroux. sun-sentinel.com. 2019-10-21.
  8. Web site: Your Money Matters: Looking for a job? Get some help with Challenger, Gray & Christmas' Career Help Hotline. 2018-12-26. WGN-TV. 2019-10-21.
  9. http://www.globalhrnews.com/story.asp?sid=1382 John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas at Global HR
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20081024233318/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=30662003 Company Overview of Challenger, Gray & Christmas at Bloomberg Businessweek
  11. News: Getting Fired With Style. MacHlowitz. Marilyn M.. 1977-08-14. The New York Times. 2019-10-21. 0362-4331.
  12. Web site: The Fed Can't Help Housing or Autos at This Point - Danielle DiMartino Booth – Quill Intelligence. 2019-08-26. Danielle DiMartino Booth – Quill Intelligence. 2019-10-21.
  13. Web site: Job cuts during the first half of the year were the highest since 2009: Challenger. finance.yahoo.com. 2019-10-09.
  14. Web site: Job Cut Report. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.. 2019-10-09.
  15. News: Mnuchin Dismisses Data Showing Trade War Pain. Rappeport. Alan. 2019-09-09. The New York Times. 2019-10-09. 0362-4331.
  16. Book: Baumohl, Bernard. The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities. 2007-07-24. FT Press. 9780132715980.
  17. Web site: CEO departures may be driven by tight labor market: Expert. www.cnbc.com. 27 September 2019. 2019-10-09.
  18. Web site: 2019-09-27. Why There's Been an Uptick in C-Suite Departures. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190928193107/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2019-09-27/why-there-s-been-an-uptick-in-c-suite-departures-video . 2019-09-28 . 2019-10-09. www.bloomberg.com.
  19. Web site: CEO Turnover Report. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.. 2019-10-09.
  20. News: CEO-chairmen are an endangered species. 2019-10-17. The Economist. 2019-10-21. 0013-0613.
  21. Web site: Sexual harassment at work is finally on the decline — now for the bad news. Wellemeyer. James. MarketWatch. 2019-10-09.
  22. Web site: Has #MeToo Canceled Office Dating Culture?. Evans. Dayna. 2019-10-22. Cosmopolitan. en-US. 2019-10-23.
  23. Web site: Employers Are Clamping Down on the Office Romance in the #MeToo Era, but It Will Never Truly die.
  24. http://technology.inc.com/2007/03/01/will-march-madness-make-the-boss-block-web-use/ During NCAA basketball tournament, employers lose $1.2 billion in employee productivity
  25. http://www.chicagotribune.com/classified/jobs/chi-stores-holiday-season-hiring-20111021,0,2701958.story Lifted from Tribune Media Services, Jobs for seasonal workers
  26. http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/wsbt-report-shows-less-teens-looking-for-jobs-20120518,0,5993667.story Report shows fewer teens looking for jobs, Chicago Tribune
  27. http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sns-rt-usa-economyjobs-challenger-urgentn9n0b100y-20130307,0,5789981.story Lifted from Reuters: US planned layoffs rose for 2nd month in a row in Feb says Challenger

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