John Challenger

Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Type	Outplacement and Career Transition Services
Industry	Outplacement, Executive Coaching
Founded	Chicago, Illinois, USA (1966 (1966))
Founder	James E. Challenger
Number of locations	Offices throughout North America
Area served	North America and Globally
Key people	John A. Challenger, CEO
Services	Outplacement Services, Executive Coaching
Website	www.challengergray.com

Challenger, Gray & Christmas, with headquarters located in Chicago, Illinois, is the oldest executive outplacement firm in the US. It has offices throughout North America. James E. Challenger is the founder of the company and of the outplacement industry. SHRM (The Society for Human Resources Management) recognized him in 1996 as the creator and pioneer of the outplacement field.

The firm's primary goal is to make the transition to reemployment easier for displaced workers It was founded in 1962 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.

The media has covered the results of the studies that the company has put together. These include the cost of 2007 "March Madness" on the productivity of U.S. businesses, the flat rate of hiring seasonal workers in 2011, declining rate of teen employment in 2012, rising planned layoffs at the U.S. companies in 2013 One of the key developments of this firm is the awarding of a $5 million federal contract from the U.S Navy's Chief of Naval Installations Milling, Tennessee, for professional, scientific and technical services.

The firm also 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, and working women.