

Dell tells staff: If you haven't got stomach for private era, leave - npalli
http://www.channelregister.co.uk/2013/12/04/dell_voluntary_redundancy/

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rayiner
If you believe it's about "the mission" I have a bridge to sell you. When
management offers a buyout, it's about to cull the workforce. It's a go-to
private equity trick. Silver Lake probably realizes that Dell can do just as
much with a lot fewer people, so getting rid of the excess workforce will
result in an instant shot in the arm for profits.

That said, offering buyouts can be risky. On one hand, they're better for
morale than just firing a bunch of people. On the other hand, anybody who has
any sense knows that buyouts means that layoffs are imminent, and so the ones
who have the most prospects elsewhere (i.e. the people you want to retain)
will be the first ones to jump ship.

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lsc
the first rule of employment: If someone offers you free money to leave? you
take it.

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jedberg
You're exactly the kind of person they are trying to get to leave -- someone
who is only in it for the money and doesn't believe in the mission.

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steven2012
I would love to hire people like you... people who are willing to take a
paycut and small stock grants in order to fulfill my grand mission: to make
myself as rich as possible.

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jedberg
Why does not taking this offer imply taking a pay cut and small stock grants?

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BrokenPipe
Because usually if they offer this is because they want to get rid of you and
your team.

And if they do, there's not much do there anymore.

So unless you're there solely for money, you won't stay there any longer and
take the extra (assuming you feel you can find a better than gotten rid of
job)

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alan_cx
Why not a wedge of cash to stay? That's what happened in one business I worked
in but got bought out like this.

We got told things would change, they needed our co-operation, it would mean
possibly working a bit harder and getting used to new practices. So, here's a
lump sum.

BTW, only a very small number took the money and left afterwards. Problem they
had was that in the industry, the deal was well known. Apparently interviews
for some other firms in the same sector were awkward. "So, Mr Smith, you took
the hand out a month ago, but here you are interviewing for us. Please tell us
your opinions on loyalty?"

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_delirium
The company probably just wants to downsize, in which case offering people
money to _stay_ would be the wrong incentive. Voluntary severance packages are
often offered when a company wants to get rid of staff without overt layoffs.
Sometimes followed by layoffs anyway, if not enough people take the offer. The
phrasing here makes it sound related to post-merger culture, but that letter
is written in Corporate Newspeak, a dialect of English that is sometimes
tricky to translate.

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junto
I remember when my share options were worth $52.

