The pros and cons of offering voluntary buyouts to employees
Source: Business Insider ·
Voluntary buyouts are gaining ground in Big Tech as companies explore another way to shrink their workforces.
From the source
Microsoft offered buyouts to more than a quarter of its employees on Monday.David Ryder/ReutersMicrosoft recently offered voluntary exit packages to some employees. It's the company's second buyout offer this year.Some Google workers have said they want buyouts offered before layoffs, and to more employees.Buyouts might soften job cuts, though broad offers could also send top talent out the door.Voluntary buyouts are gaining momentum in Big Tech.On Monday, Microsoft offered the exit packages to some of its employees for the second time this year, its latest attempt to slim its workforce without layoffs. In April, the company launched its first broad voluntary retirement program, offering packages to thousands of longtime US employees.Separately, workers at Google pressed the search giant this past summer to make voluntary buyouts a standard first step whenever it plans job cuts — and to extend them to all members of affected teams, regardless of tenure.Outside tech, Skydance, the…