Voluntary exits, opt-in layoffs: The buyout tactic sweeping the workforce

"The mass layoff meat grinder is out in full force this week. In just the past couple of days, thousands of workers have fallen victim to job cuts at Amazon, Target, Paramount, CBS, and other large companies. YouTube has also quietly introduced voluntary exit packages for employees who are willing to be laid off with severance benefits, according to an internal memo first reported by Alex Heath's Sources AI newsletter."

"Adding words like "opt in" or "voluntary" in front of separation, retirement, and severance packages is the new way to soft-launch layoffs, in the hope of making the idea of losing one's job slightly more palatable to employees. (Also, why not just call these things what they are: buyouts?) These programs are not new, and saw a resurgence of popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering a few months extra pay, healthcare coverage, and other employment services such as career counseling, to sugarcoat what is, in most cases, bad news."

"The voluntary nature of some buyout programs gives employees the illusion of control over their fate. "The reality of opt-in layoffs is psychological and emotional outsourcing," Holly Howard, founder of Ask Holly How, a culture-first business consultancy, told Fast Company. "It's a bit of a PR strategy to avoid what might be a complicated and negative narrative and instead transfer that burden onto the employees themselves.""

Mass layoffs are affecting thousands of workers across major companies. Some firms are offering voluntary exit packages that include severance, extra pay, healthcare, and employment services. Adding terms like "opt in" or "voluntary" ahead of separation and retirement packages functions as a soft-launch tactic to make job losses seem more acceptable. These buyouts saw renewed use during the COVID-19 pandemic and typically provide short-term financial and support benefits. Employees and observers often view the framing skeptically, arguing that voluntariness creates an illusion of control and serves as a PR strategy that shifts emotional burden onto workers.

Read at Fast Company