Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Challenger, Gray & Christmas is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, 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]

Challenger, Gray & Christmas
TypeOutplacement and Career Transition Services
IndustryOutplacement, Executive Coaching
FoundedChicago, Illinois, USA (1966 (1966))
FounderJames E. Challenger
Number of locations
Offices throughout North America
Area served
North America and Globally
Key people
John A. Challenger, CEO
ServicesOutplacement Services, Executive Coaching
Websitewww.challengergray.com

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, at the height of the turmoil over corporate governance, 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

Outplacement services, provided by scores of firms, have become standard at most large companies, but in 1977 it was estimated that only 40% of major American companies offered outplacement. As early as 1977, Challenger, Gray & Christmas was recognized among the oldest and largest outplacement firms. 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, his desire to help led him to found Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., the first outplacement firm in the country.

He devised a training, counseling, and support program to help job seekers find new jobs quickly and successfully. 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:
  • Military to civilian job searches
  • The job search for new college grads
  • Retirement
  • The job search for those over age 55
  • Explaining a career gap
  • Resume writing
  • Interviewing
  • Career advancement
  • Transferring skills
  • Switching industries
  • Turning a temporary position into a permanent one
  • Finding a job after incarceration

The hotline does not place callers with new employers, nor can its coaches review individual resumes or point callers to specific opportunities.

Company goals

The company's primary goal is to make the transition to reemployment easier for displaced workers[9] The company 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
Corporate job cuts

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 has been referenced all over the world and is used by leading 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[25] in 2011, declining rate of teen employment in 2012,[26] rising planned layoffs at the U.S. companies in 2013[27] One of the key developments of this firm is the awarding of a $5 million federal contract from the US Navy's Chief of Naval Installations Milling, Tennessee, for professional, scientific and technical services.

References
  1. O'Donnell, Maureen (2019-09-12). "James Challenger, who founded Chicago firm that helped workers find their footing after layoffs, has died at 93". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  2. Hagerty, James R. (20 September 2019). "James Challenger Helped Create Market for Outplacement Services". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  3. "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" (PDF). Govinfo.gov. June 18, 2003. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  4. MacHlowitz, Marilyn M. (1977-08-14). "Getting Fired With Style". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  5. Challenger, James E. (1994). Outplacement. Challenger, Gray & Christmas, inc. ISBN 9780964148505.
  6. Challenger, James E. (June 2000). The Challenger Guide: Job-Hunting Success for Mid-Career Professionals. McGraw-Hill Trade. ISBN 9780809298754.
  7. Pounds, Marcia Heroux. "Need job hunting advice? Call Challenger's free 'Help Line' Dec. 26-27". sun-sentinel.com. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  8. "Your Money Matters: Looking for a job? Get some help with Challenger, Gray & Christmas' Career Help Hotline". WGN-TV. 2018-12-26. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  9. John Challenger of Challenger, Gray & Christmas at Global HR Archived February 2, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Accessed March 2, 2013
  10. Company Overview of Challenger, Gray & Christmas at Bloomberg Businessweek Accessed March 5, 2013
  11. MacHlowitz, Marilyn M. (1977-08-14). "Getting Fired With Style". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  12. "The Fed Can't Help Housing or Autos at This Point - Danielle DiMartino Booth – Quill Intelligence". Danielle DiMartino Booth – Quill Intelligence. 2019-08-26. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  13. "Job cuts during the first half of the year were the highest since 2009: Challenger". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  14. "Job Cut Report". Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  15. Rappeport, Alan (2019-09-09). "Mnuchin Dismisses Data Showing Trade War Pain". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  16. Baumohl, Bernard (2007-07-24). The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities. FT Press. ISBN 9780132715980.
  17. "CEO departures may be driven by tight labor market: Expert". www.cnbc.com. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  18. "Why There's Been an Uptick in C-Suite Departures". www.bloomberg.com. 2019-09-27. Archived from the original on 2019-09-28. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  19. "CEO Turnover Report". Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  20. "CEO-chairmen are an endangered species". The Economist. 2019-10-17. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  21. Wellemeyer, James. "Sexual harassment at work is finally on the decline — now for the bad news". MarketWatch. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  22. Evans, Dayna (2019-10-22). "Has #MeToo Canceled Office Dating Culture?". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 2019-10-23.
  23. "Employers Are Clamping Down on the Office Romance in the #MeToo Era, but It Will Never Truly die".
  24. During NCAA basketball tournament, employers lose $1.2 billion in employee productivity Archived September 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Accessed March 5, 2013
  25. Lifted from Tribune Media Services, Jobs for seasonal workers Accessed March 5, 2013
  26. Report shows fewer teens looking for jobs, Chicago Tribune Accessed March 5, 2013
  27. Lifted from Reuters: US planned layoffs rose for 2nd month in a row in Feb says Challenger Accessed March 4, 2013
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