ProBridge – Career Counseling

Virtually everywhere we go we meet law enforcement officers who have, for want of a better phrase, “hit a wall”. They tell us they’re frustrated, their attitudes have soured, motivation for doing the job is low, personal productivity is down, and they don’t see any options other than continuing to collect their paycheck. They tell us they don’t get to spend enough time with their families; they don’t get to enjoy recreation as much as they’d like; or that they don’t’ feel like they have a sense of achievement at the end of the day.

Now, some are simply “burned out” – no foul – many people find they don’t have a sense of achievement in their work. Some have realized that they made a poor career choice to begin with – again, no foul – many, many people go through career change. And a few are simply . what’s that phrase law enforcement officers use? – “retired at work” – no foul either – only if they want to explore and take advantage of options.

In many cases, what may once have been a highly enthusiastic, proud, productive employee has become an individual who is frustrated at work and who cannot conceive of any options other than slogging through one unrewarding day after another.

In a few cases, what was once a stalwart public servant has become a drain on resources, a source of frustration to supervisors and peers, and a negative influence on the rest of the team.

Thus, the genesis of ProBridge© – helping law enforcement officers create the next steps in their professional careers with confidence, confidentiality and pride.

Career Transition (or “outplacement”) services have been utilized by industries throughout the United States for decades. Until now, access to such services have rarely been available to law enforcement personnel. To the contrary, many senior law enforcement decision-makers feel obligated to engage in a frustrating cycle of pouring more and more resources into trying to improve the attitudes of a few personnel – or going through a protracted, rancorous and litigious process of terminating the employment relationship.

In either case, neither the taxpayers, nor the agency, nor the team, nor the affected employee wins. Unhappy employees who stay on the job wind up costing taxpayers a great deal of money in the long-run – hundreds of thousands more than the fees which might be paid for ProBridge© Career Transition programs. Employees who have their employment relationship terminated go away feeling bitter, victimized and are often the source of expensive, “post-firing” litigation.

At ProBridge© we believe they would be better off to invest in and assist some of those employees – in a positive and proactive fashion – with an effective career change where everyone wins. Rather than an embittered former employee complaining about how they were treated, we encourage agencies to take the high road and create an opportunity for former employees to sing the praises of agency management as forward thinking and supportive of their employees.

While participating in the ProBridge© Career Transition program, Candidates learn how to make effective career transition choices and to have the confidence to make it happen for themselves and their families. They learn how to focus their many transferrable skills – irrespespective of their specific law enforcement background – and leverage those skills into a career where they can truly find personal satisfaction.

The ProBridge© Career Transition process consists of a series of consulting sessions tailored to both the individual and the agency – all of which are captured in a personalized Professional Development Plan. Our professional consultants work with each individual client on a confidential, one-on-one basis to help them think through and plan their career priorities, repackage themselves for maximum appeal to industries other than law enforcement, develop their network, and provide ongoing support to them as they work their way through their individualized marketing campaign.

What To Do:

  • Do count on us for confidentiality in all aspects of our work with your agency and with the Candidates you send to us.
  • Do count on us to take a personal interest in outplacement candidates you send to us.
  • Do count on us to do our best to instill a positive, can-do attitude in outplacement Candidates and to contribute to their self-confidence and self-esteem in making a career change.
  • Do count on us to keep you informed of your Candidate’s progress toward his or her new career objectives while they are actively participating in the program.
  • Do Call Today! If you believe you have an employee who would be an effective Candidate for ProBridge© Career Transition Services. Please contact Steve for a confidential, no-obligation discussion about whether and how to proceed.

ProBridge Packages And Fees:

We offer a variety of packages to match the needs of your agency and your Candidate for Career Transition. While few agencies have line items from which to specifically draw funds to pay for ProBridge© services, we encourage clients to consider Career Transition as a training expense or as one component of a formal severance benefit package.

In addition, we encourage decision-makers to consider a blunt fact: The agency can choose to invest in the employee and in a ProBridge© package – or can stand by while that same employee wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost productivity and other unnecessary expenses over the next decade or more.

We would be honored to assist you in talking with your City Administrator, County Commission, Personnel Department and Finance Department to find a way where everyone wins.

If you have questions or need additional assistance, please call 541.806-1502 for assistance or use the “Contact/Chat” tab at the bottom of this page.

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