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Comment by washywashy | Hacker News Reader

Are employees able to “take” a layoff even if they don’t receive an email telling them they are among the affected group?

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If you're pretty close with your Director/VP, you can volunteer to be first on the list. Frame it as a sacrifice that you're willing to make to spare another member of your team.

Good advice, I have done this and it has worked.

It was petty, but I worked with a dude who got fired for doing that.

When he volunteered to get laid off (with the intention of getting a severance), the person he said that to fired him on the spot for "not being a team player."

Eventually, every last one of us were laid off. But it took six months and I used the time to find a new role and I also received a four month severance.

The "If you're pretty close with your Director/VP" part is probably important :)

In situations like this, it's usually too late.

Sometimes voluntary layoffs are announced, but really you need to be able to read between the lines and smell that something is coming before the layoff is announced. (The reason is that layoffs are usually kept confidential because no one wants to incite panic.)

What I did a few years ago was have a 1-1 with a VP and basically implied that I was ready to do something different. I ended up with a great severance package right as the pandemic was taking off.

I've never understood why people in middle management seem to be blindsided by layoffs. I've even listened to a manager tell the CEO this. Are they that oblivious they can't see the writing on the wall? Or is it all just a weird act?

You don't get to be middle management by NOT doing a weird act all the time

Not usually in layoffs. In acquisitions or for old fashioned pension based companies sometimes there are voluntary “buyouts” which look like that.

Sometimes voluntary buyouts are offered before the layoffs. And they typically will make it seem like the buyout option will have better terms than the eventual severance package, to entice people to take it rather than risk getting fired down the road.

Yeah this is what I’ve seen at previous companies. Basically, they need enough headcount for it to not eventually proceed to full layoffs. It actually seems beneficial if you meet the tenure requirements, are still relatively young, and have a good network. I saw several people make out like bandits from those types of offerings.

Yep. I knew several people at a previous employer who got 1 year full pay packages and had a new job lined up within a week. One guy took an early retirement package, worth probably $250k at the time, left for two years and worked at a startup for a while, then came back and within 18 months took ANOTHER early retirement package.

I was wondering about this as well, would be nice if someone could clarify!

It depends on the company and situation. Sometimes they ask for volunteers and you can request the package, most times you don't get a choice.

The writing is usually on the wall for a while before the layoff actually happens, so there's time for you to let your manager know that you wouldn't mind getting the boot.

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