Aims:
This programme supports managers, HR leaders and People Professionals to confidently and compassionately guide employees through key life and career transitions.
These transitions, including returning from parental leave, role changes, career redirection, menopause, personal challenges, health issues, redundancy risk, or major life events, have a profound impact on wellbeing, engagement, performance and retention.
Participants will learn practical skills, frameworks and approaches to support these moments with empathy, clarity and structure, helping organisations create psychologically safe, inclusive and sustainable workplaces.
This programme blends trauma-informed practice, career development theory and sustainable HRM principles.
Core Topics – Day 1: Life Transitions
- Understanding the impact of major life events on work
- Trauma-informed and compassionate support principles
- Supporting employees through:
- Family change (parental leave, caring responsibilities)
- Health challenges (physical, emotional, chronic illness)
- Menopause and hormonal transitions
- Bereavement and grief
- Personal crises and identity transitions
- Adjusting work safely and sustainably
- Boundaries, confidentiality and ethical practice
- HR’s role in providing structure, policy guidance and support
Core Topics – Day 2: Career Transitions
- Understanding career cycles and transition psychology
- Supporting role changes, promotions and capability shifts
- Returning to work after long absence
- Redeployment, restructuring and redundancy support
- Career conversations and development pathways
- Tools: strengths mapping, skills analysis & transition planning
- Reducing burnout, disengagement and attrition risk
- Building an inclusive and supportive transition culture
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
- Support employees through life and career transitions with confidence
- Apply trauma-informed, psychologically safe practices
- Conduct compassionate and structured transition conversations
- Identify and reduce risk factors (burnout, disengagement, flight risk)
- Create supportive return-to-work and career development plans
- Balance organisational needs with employee wellbeing
- Ensure fairness, consistency and support across teams
- Promote a culture where transition is normalised and supported
This programme is directly aligned with the Sustainable People Practices Framework:
Pillar 1 – Workforce Planning
- Helps organisations retain talent and manage capability shifts.
Pillar 2 – Employee Experience & Capability
- Ensures inclusive, accessible and supportive transition processes.
Pillar 3 – Leadership & Culture
- Builds compassionate, psychologically safe leadership.
Pillar 4 – ESG / Social Responsibility
- Strengthens responsible and ethical practice around employee wellbeing.
SDG Alignment:
- SDG 3 (Good Health & Wellbeing)
- SDG 5 (Gender Equality)
- SDG 8 (Decent Work & Economic Growth)
- SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)