LHH alternatives, compared on six contract terms.
LHH is one of the largest outplacement providers. Size and fit are separate questions. This page sets out the comparison on terms that show up after the contract is signed.
LHH's strengths
LHH fits global enterprises that need one vendor across many countries under a single contract.
LHH is part of the Adecco Group, operates in dozens of countries, and offers a breadth of workforce services beyond outplacement. If your reduction spans continents, if procurement requires a vendor of that scale, or if you want career transition bundled with broader HR services, the large providers earn their place on the shortlist. That is a real strength, and a boutique should be honest about it.
Common reasons buyers look elsewhere
Buyers who look elsewhere usually ask about pooled coaching, programs that end on a calendar date, usage visibility, and onboarding speed.
These questions tend to come up after signature, not in the proposal: whether coaching comes from a shared bench or a named coach, whether support ends when a program window closes or when the person lands, whether reporting is a periodic summary or a live view, and how long onboarding takes. Our research on the gap between what providers advertise and what their participants report is published in The Credibility Delta. Whether any of these applies to a specific vendor is exactly what the written questions below are for.
FirstSourceTeam compared on six terms
Compare on six dimensions: coaching model, duration, usage visibility, unused seats, launch speed, and firm structure.
| Dimension | Questions to ask any large provider | FirstSourceTeam |
|---|---|---|
| Coaching model | Ask whether each participant gets a named, dedicated coach or draws from a shared bench, and how coaches are matched. | A dedicated in-house coach per participant on Extended and Enterprise, matched by industry, function, and seniority. |
| Duration | Ask what ends the engagement: placement, a calendar date, or an hours cap. Get the cutoff in writing. | No time caps and no hour caps. Coaching continues until the participant is placed. |
| Usage visibility | Ask what HR can see while the program runs, per participant, and how often it updates. | A live employer dashboard: enrollment, engagement, coaching activity, and outcomes, with exportable audit logs. |
| Unused seats | Ask what happens to the fee when a participant never engages or declines the service. | Refunds on declined seats are available, with terms negotiated per contract. |
| Launch speed | Ask how long from signature to participants meeting a coach, and what procurement steps sit in between. | Running within 48 hours. No master service agreement cycle; participants get platform access and a matched coach within 48 hours of being added. |
| Firm structure | Ask who owns the firm and how outplacement sits within the wider business. | Family-owned since 2006. Outplacement is the whole business. |
On price: we do not publish competitor rates, because quotes vary by population and the public numbers are unreliable. A boutique carries less overhead, and FirstSourceTeam offers volume discounts on enterprise contracts. Get both quotes in writing for the same population.
Questions to ask either vendor
Put these to every finalist in writing, and compare both the answers and how quickly each vendor gives them.
- Who, by name or by model, coaches each participant, and how are they matched?
- What ends the engagement: placement, a date, or an hours cap?
- What can HR see while the program runs, and how current is it?
- What happens to the fee for a seat that is never used?
- How many days from signature to a participant meeting a coach?
- What do participants, rather than buyers, say about the program in public reviews?
About this comparison
Statements about LHH are limited to its own public materials: ownership (Adecco Group) and global scope. Service terms vary by contract, which is why this page frames the comparison as questions to verify in writing rather than claims about any vendor's current terms. FirstSourceTeam terms describe our standard programs as sold.