Affiliated Computer Services, a Fortune 500 company and global leader in business process outsourcing and information technology services, has introduced a new service offering, ACS Transition Services - Powered by RiseSmart.

Said Mark Squiers, executive managing director of ACS Human Resources Outsourcing services, in the company’s press release:

This is a new model for transition services, one that is geared to providing strong returns for both employers and employees. By eliminating costly traditional services like office space and group seminars, which have been found to be of low value to employees, the focus is on aggressively helping workers find a new job. Valuable services such as professional resume writing and personalized support for individuals remain, while companies have the ability to quickly deploy the additional services without dealing with infrastructure issues.

We are delighted to partner with ACS as we continue to transform the way outplacement works, both for employees and employers.

I don’t generally think of myself as a movie reviewer, but my critique of “Up in the Air” — written, of course, from my perspective as the CEO of an outplacement firm — has gotten some attention, first in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and then in the online Wall Street Journal.

Wrote the Journal’s Josh Beckerman of our press release on the movie (which this week was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture):

Best of all is RiseSmart’s debunking of the theory that “laid-off workers can be mollified with generic pep talks.” The company invokes Clooney’s line that “anyone who ever built an empire or changed the world sat where you are sitting, and it’s because they sat there that they were able to do it.”

RiseSmart says “the thought that this kind of condescending pep talk would ‘work’ on people is insulting to those who have actually had to go through this experience.” Right on. The downsizing victims in the movie are too easily impressed - the cynical J.K. Simmons character is rapidly persuaded about the merits of opening a restaurant during the credit crunch, and there’s a queasy suggestion that layoffs are okay because you get to spend more time with your family.

Since Hollywood doesn’t make many movies about HR consultants, my 15 minutes of fame as a film critic is probably over. So Roger Ebert, don’t quit your day job.

But I would like to add one more point about the movie, which I’ve come to upon reflection. The unflattering treatment of HR consultants in “Up in the Air” might normally be dismissed as standard Hollywood storytelling. But the movie’s popularity and Oscar nod suggest it has struck a chord of authenticity with audiences.

Why so? I think it’s at least partly because hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of workers who have been laid-off in recent years have been less than pleased with the quality — and the results — of the help they have received from traditional outplacement firms. It’s the real story of old-school outplacement, which the Wall Street Journal told a few months back.

So ironically, for all its inaccuracies, “Up in the Air” points to the reason I started RiseSmart Transition Concierge in the first place — to make outplacement services more accountable to both displaced workers and their employers, by getting employees back to work sooner.

I lived in Dallas for years before launching RiseSmart in 2007. Then, 18 months after starting the company, I moved RiseSmart to Silicon Valley.

Because of this experience, I’m often asked by entrepreneurs in Dallas and elsewhere if and when they should move their startups to the Valley, too.

To answer some of the questions I’ve received, I wrote a post for Alexander Muse’s Texas Startup Blog. You can read it here.

We are pleased to be the subject of a feature in the IndUS Business Journal that went live online today. Here’s an excerpt:

Corporate outplacement is a mainstay in corporate America and is certainly on the uptick now as the unemployment rate continues to rise and more and more companies reduce their headcounts. However, as [RiseSmart CEO Sanjay] Sathe points out, traditionally corporate outplacement provided services such as grief counseling and gave laid-off employees work space for short periods — while RiseSmart’s Transition Concierge puts the emphasis on employment.

“We really see filling an unmet need on the corporate side,” said Sathe. “We focus on what is important in the transition — to get to the next job.”

Transition Concierge provides RiseSmart’s Internet job searching power, a team of resume writers and support from a transition specialist for six months.

With reports tabbing the corporate outplacement industry at least $3 billion a year, there is certainly no shortage of opportunity for RiseSmart. Still, the company makes a strong play with its pricing for Transition Concierge, which Sathe puts at “a fraction of the cost” of more traditional outplacement services. According to him, many of these would charge $4,000-$5,000 for three months of service — RiseSmart charges $2,500 for six months.

“It is great in terms of value to the individual and the organization. And it is also very important from a price standpoint,” he said.

“[Companies] want to do the right thing. They want to help people get their next job,” he added. “We realized there is a lot of opportunity for us as a company.”

Read the full story here.

It’s been a difficult year for everyone, and the economic downturn has affected how companies celebrate the holiday season. In a time of layoffs and furloughs, it just doesn’t seem right to celebrate lavishly.

Still, even if you’re mentally prepared for a scale-back, the severity of the actual numbers may surprise you. The annual Challenger Gray & Christmas survey showed that just 62% of businesses will have a holiday party this year. That’s down from 77% in 2008, and 90% in 2007 – meaning that 28% of businesses have dropped the custom in just two years. Want more proof? In her recent post “The 2009 Holiday Party: Holding On…” Ann Bares of Compensation Force cited some research from BLR about the state of the 2009 holiday party:

• For 37% of employers, the budget will be about the same.
• For 24% of employers, the budget will be smaller.
• 20% say they had no holiday party last year and won’t have one this year either.
• 14% say they had one last year but won’t this year.

In a nod to tough times, Coca-Cola execs said that they would be making a donation to a hunger-prevention charity instead of throwing a holiday bash – for the second year in a row. Individual departments will be encouraged to throw potluck lunches to celebrate instead, reported business publication TheStreet.com.

Some business owners who are really getting into the right spirit this year were James and Melinda Hemdon, profiled in the Orange County Register story “O.C. businesses trim, not end, year-end parties. ” The couple, who own Scuba.com, used to throw a catered dinner cruise. This year, though, in an attempt to scale back, they’re cooking a homemade dinner at their own house for staff.

It seems to me that employees who are facing more work for less pay, along with the loss of colleagues and an uncertain future, are likely to appreciate these gestures of restraint very much. It’s good for members of an organization to get together and appreciate what they have together, without spending money in such a way that calls their judgment into question. “Low-key” seems to be the watchword as we close out a very tough 2009.

How is your company handling the 2009 holiday party? Are you part of the 14% that have retired the office party this year? Do you have any creative ideas for celebrating on a budget? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

When we exhibited at HRE’s HR Technology Expo — the biggest HR tech conference in the United States — last month, we noticed something interesting. We were the only outplacement services firm there.

There’s a reason for this. RiseSmart is in the process of disrupting the $3 billion-plus corporate outplacement market by, for the first time, bringing technology to bear to reduce the industry’s cost structure, while improving service delivery. Among our innovations, we search Web-based job listings on behalf of laid-off workers to help them find jobs — something none of the big players in outplacement do currently.

We’ve been fortunate, since moving our offices from Dallas to Silicon Valley last year, to have Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) in our corner. NVP invested $3 million in Series A funding, which has helped us to grow our business to build an impressive roster of clients, including some of the most forward-thinking companies in the Fortune 500.

Now we are delighted to welcome Storm Ventures as a RiseSmart investor. We announced today an additional $4.6 million in Series A funding, including $2.8 million from Storm Ventures and $1.8 million from NVP.

In addition, Storm Ventures managing director Sanjay Subhedar will join NVP’s Venkat Mohan and myself on our company’s board of directors.

From our press release, here’s what Sanjay and Venkat say of the deal:

“RiseSmart has created a business model that promises to be a game changer in the $3 billion plus outplacement industry,” Subhedar said. “RiseSmart’s Transition Concierge is disrupting the cost structure for corporate outplacement providers, while leveraging technology to deliver superior value to a growing roster of Fortune 500 clients. “

Said Mohan: “RiseSmart has grown rapidly since NVP made its initial investment in June 2008. The company has gone the extra mile to provide an excellent customer experience to both corporate clients and transitioning workers – and that has paid off in word of mouth and new business referrals.”

I can only express my deepest gratitude in the confidence Storm Ventures and NVP have shown in RiseSmart. We don’t intend to disappoint them.

RiseSmart had a wonderful experience at the HR Technology Conference & Expo in Chicago two weeks ago, and we’re very excited to be exhibiting at HR Southwest this week at the Fort Worth Convention Center, Oct. 14-16, Booth 721.

RiseSmart was the only outplacement services provider to exhibit at the HR Technology Expo — which speaks to one of our key differentiators compared to the “big boys” in the $5 billion outplacement industry.

Namely, we understand technology, and we use it to help our corporate clients’ laid-off employees find jobs faster. That’s a win-win for both our clients and their transitioning workers.

Come visit us at HR Southwest this week to learn more about the RiseSmart difference — and how we’re shaking up the way outplacement is done.

We’re excited today to announce that Patrick S. (”Pat”) Pittard — one of the most accomplished, respected and well-connected executives in global HR circles — has joined RiseSmart’s board of advisors.

Pat is the former chairman, president and CEO of Heidrick & Struggles, the global executive search firm. During his tenure, his leadership and vision were demonstrated through the firm’s impressive financial growth and global expansion. He led the merger of the firm’s U.S. and European operations, which had operated separately for 19 years, and also led the firm’s initial public offering in April 1999, and nine months later its follow-on offering.

Since his retirement in 2002, Pittard has served as distinguished executive-in-residence at the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business, teaching “Lessons in Leadership” to MBA students, law students and honor students. He graduated from the University of Georgia and has been honored by the Terry School of Business as its distinguished alumnus.

Pat said the following on joining our board:

RiseSmart has a disruptive business model and a veteran leadership team committed to transforming how corporate outplacement works — leveraging technology, along with a laser-like focus on results, to squeeze out the inefficiencies of traditional outplacement services. I believe in what the company is doing, and I’m excited to be a part of it.

Welcome, Pat. We look forward to your continued guidance and insight.

We’re excited to be exhibiting at Human Resource Executive’s 12th Annual HR Technology Conference & Exposition, Sept. 30 -Oct. 1 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. Top HR companies from all over the world are participating, and there are 2,200 attendees at this year’s conference.

You can find me at Booth 131, along with our marketing coordinator, Alison Zwers, and our sales director, Megan Burke. We’re giving away goodies and would love to talk with you about RiseSmart Transition Concierge, our outplacement service offering that has been written up in the Wall Street Journal, San Jose Mercury News and elsewhere.

Read our press release on the HR Technology Conference & Expo.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 32 months since we founded RiseSmart in February 2007. Both because the time has flown by, and because we’ve accomplished so much in such a short period with the help of our employees, investors, business partners — and especially our customers.

We recently put together a fact sheet in preparation for our participation at the HR Technology Conference & Expo in Chicago next week (Booth 131 — come see us!), so I thought I’d share it here also:

RiseSmart Fact Sheet
• San Jose, Calif.-based RiseSmart is transforming the way companies provide outplacement services and individuals use the Web to find jobs.
• RiseSmart Transition Concierge, the company’s outplacement offering, was highlighted in an Aug. 20 Wall Street Journal story as a low-cost, high-tech alternative to traditional outplacement services.
• RiseSmart surveys of more than 300 workers in the spring and summer of 2009 gave Transition Concierge a 92 percent user satisfaction rate.
• An independent 2009 survey of 355 U.S. employers by the Institute for Corporate Productivity showed that the average employer paid more than $5,000 per executive or manager for three to six months of outplacement services – more than twice the cost of Transition Concierge.
• A 2008 survey by Kelton Research showed that online jobseekers who do not have the benefit of RiseSmart’s services are spending an enormous amount of time — an average of 50 hours per month — searching the Web for jobs.
• Founded in February 2007, RiseSmart has received $4.5 million in funding, including $3 million in Series A financing from Norwest Venture Partners (NVP) in 2008 and $1.5 million in seed funding across 2007.
• The company’s leadership team includes Sanjay Sathe, founder and CEO; Dan Davenport, vice president of operations and finance; and Hitesh Shah, vice president of engineering. Venkat Mohan, general partner of NVP, serves with Sathe on the company’s board of directors.

Thanks for reading the RiseSmart Blog — and for following our progress.