Layoff Suicide: Is it possible? Advisable?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I work for a small nonprofit organization (around 40 employees) that, like so many other companies, has recently begun the process of layoffs. I didn’t get hit by the first round, but not being particularly “mission critical”, I’d imagine my days are numbered. Of course, I’m not the only one who feels this way, and tensions are high company-wide.

Thing is, though, I’ve seen this coming for a couple of years, and as such, I’ve had a backup plan in the works for a good while. As times and situations have changed, it became apparent about five months ago that Plan B was actually the optimal Plan A, and from there it became a question of timing – no longer “if”, but when I would make this move.

Then, last week, I watched as one of my friends at work lost her job unexpectedly. Another who was spared is now fearing for the security of his home and his family. Many of my coworkers have no viable backup plans, and I don’t envy them this position.

Simply put, I can afford this layoff a hell of a lot better than most of them can. In some ways I’d even consider it a blessing, since the layoff comes with one month’s severance, which is more lead time than I thought I’d have when I put my original plans together. Thus, after thinking it through, what I’d like to do is what I’ve spelled out in the thread title: commit layoff suicide. Specifically, I want to inform my bosses that, should they find it necessary to cut costs further, I’d like my name to be on the top of the list to receive the axe.

Has anyone seen/heard of this sort of thing being done? If you were – or better yet, are – a high-level manager, how would you react to this sort of request? (It may be relevant that my plans have nothing to do with working for a competing company, and my bosses know me well enough to believe me when I tell them this.) How would you recommend I go about it…should I lay out my reasoning, or cut straight to the chase? Et cetera, et cetera.

As a final note, I know I could just quit, and may well end up doing so if this gambit doesn’t work out, or if enough people (here and in meatspace) tell me it’s a stupid idea in the first place. I’d strongly prefer the layoff, though; a month’s severance and unemployment for the few weeks it’ll take me to re-establish myself are nothing to sneeze at.

As always, any thoughts and advice are appreciated. Thanks.

2

I did it in 06. I found out that a layoff was coming and as I was not happy anyway, I switched my name out and put in a worker with family. The man doing it was more than agreeable.

You seem to know your boss well, I think if you do it diplomatically, it will be received well.

3

I did this many years ago when I worked at a credit union. They were going to lay off two people, and it was to be the last two hired…I was third last, and both of the last two hires needed the money more than I did at that time. I was planning on quitting as soon as I got pregnant, so it only made sense to quit and let one of the other girls stay employed. then I had free time to devote to getting pregnant! It was only a part-time job to get me out of the house and get a little extra cash for a washer and dryer and a down payment on a second car, but to them it was the difference between foodstamps and being able to pay the bills.

Oh, and I was pregnant by the next month.

4

Well, of course, with all that free time …
:wink:

5

It happens all the time. I’ve heard of it happening where they tell the staff that lay-offs were coming and they were looking for voluntary takers before they’d let people go who might not want it.

6

In some places they offer buyouts to people. When AT&T was breaking up I did that, because I already had a job ready, they were offering a lot of money, and so many people were leaving that staying didn’t seem advisable. However some places, like the one I’m at now, won’t do it since the good people are the ones who can find jobs, and making it voluntary tends to drive down the quality of the workforce.

At my site in AT&T, there were a few people considered so valuable that they weren’t given the option of leaving with pay. They stayed, and all were gone within a year.

Speaking as someone who has had to lay off people, if the company allows it your manager will be thrilled at you offering to go, since that is one fewer person who they have to layoff involuntarily. What can it hurt? Don’t worry about the competing company - if you wanted to do that you could have quit any time. So it can’t hurt to ask, but you might be turned down.

As for reasons, all you have to say that while you like working there, but you have a fallback option and you wanted to offer to let those without one stay.

Good luck!

7

We did turn a guy down. The company I work for doesn’t permit “volunteers” for some reason (probably legal, I’d imagine - and they don’t want to give a severance package to someone who would quit without it). However, he was still going to quit - his wife had finished med school and her residency was out of state, he gave his notice and he saved someone else’s job - but he didn’t get the severance package.

The VP did give him a hell of a going away lunch out of the VPs personal budget - and everyone personally involved thought the policy sucked.

8

It does for a single person leaving, but I understand the policy. The package I took was so good that a ton of people in my department, which had a good industry reputation left, and the whole center got so hollowed out it collapsed. My department had more budget than people after everyone left. Only one person was actually laid off, and he would have been anyhow, so he didn’t have the stigma of the only person going. People at Intel told me that when IBM allowed volunteers Intel got all the good people, and Intel would never offer a voluntary package. They did five years later.

Clearly if my place had not allowed volunteers there would have been a better match between people and work afterwards. But Bullet Bob Allen was spinning off Lucent, and the few employees the more profitable it looked, so he didn’t give a crap about the situation after the trivestiture.

9

I volunteered for a layoff in '04. I had a 140 mile round trip commute on a 12 hour day and it was killing me. But I find it very, very hard to quit jobs with out already having secured another.

I told the head of the division he should consider me first, because I would have to leave soon anyway. I was on the next layoff in early '05. I got 5 weeks severance, my vacation hours and was able to collect unemployment.

I had already survived umpteen layoffs at this point and would have survived this one too. Turned out to be a great decision for me.

10

I’ve done it. Worked out well.

But …

Unless you have an employment contract that spells it out, expect them to not offer any severance or layoff payment if you volunteer to go first.

The problem is there’s no way to ask the question without tipping your hand.

11

Very common in the time I spent at Lotus/IBM. Just make sure they don’t get the impression that you’d quit otherwise.

12

Or what…they won’t lay you off?

Hmmmmmm…if one KNOWS they will be layed off…this might be a strategy to stay…they thinking you will quit… :smiley:

13

If it is a layoff of any size, I’d be surprised if they would offer a severance to others and not to one. It would raise too much possibility of a lawsuit.

They may or may not lay you off, even if you volunteer. But if they do, they’ll likely treat you as they would all the others.

I guess though, if you are worried about that eventuality, you need to keep the possibility in mind.

14

The OP could be me, but I don’t really dare put my name in the hat, fearing that I won’t get the package. We will have layoffs once the “Enhanced Retirement” offers are considered and, with my boss possibly taking it, I would be happy to avoid any negative changes and 1) have the summer off with my son and 2) take care of my home and office manage my husband’s growing practice. But I’m not doing that without severance and the more favorable COBRA laws surrounding involuntary separation.

15

…huh.

I just got out of a meeting with my boss. I laid out my case, and told her I wanted to put my name on the list, such as it is.

The result: apparently I’m more mission-critical than I thought. She showed me the top-secret-until-Thursday company plan, which includes me on a team of tech gurus helping to launch our new product lines and initiatives, and told me that the exec team considered my skills valuable to the direction the company is headed. Bottom line, I’m safe for the foreseeable future.*

I don’t know what response I expected, but that wasn’t it. I have some serious thinking to do now. A large part of the superiority of my recently-promoted Plan B stemmed from a much larger degree of certainty/stability than sitting around waiting to be laid off. It still has long-term advantages and I may still want to do it, but a steady income and killer benefits are nothing to sneeze at in the current climate, and…well, we’re venturing into LiveJournal territory, and if I wanted to do that, I’d get one.

Further, she told me that they’re not currently planning another round of layoffs, and even if they do, they won’t accept volunteers. In her words, “those decisions are made based on value and transferability of skills; I can’t consider personal situations in that scenario.” That’s closer to the response I expected – we’re a small company, so it’s not like we have a great deal of overlap in different people’s skills and responsibilities – but it doesn’t much look like it matters now.

Oh well, I’m not complaining. Two good options to choose from isn’t a bad position…it’s just that it’s about the one thing my pessimistic projections didn’t plan for. Thanks to everyone for your advice and information; it was a big help.

*Coming from anyone else in the company, I wouldn’t believe a word of that, but I trust her to be honest about this…I think. Something else I’ll have to consider.

16

I have seen people who did it have to fight for unemployment. They can say you actually quit.

17

Well, I know your feelings are mixed, but it sounds like good news. Sounds like you are needed. If you still enjoy yourself there, this can’t be bad. Good luck!

18

Last year, when I was required to oversee a round of layoffs as a condition of getting my current job, we were specifically forbidden to allow people to volunteer to be laid off. Anyone who attempted to do so as you were describing was to be told they could resign or wait their turn to be laid off, but not move up in the layoff order.

19

I maneuvred my way into a layoff. Didn’t come out and volunteer, but I made it clear I did not want to stay and they took the hint. Great move.

20

I agree NEVER volunteer to quit. They can easily use this to stop your collecting unemployment. Remember the more people they lay off the higher rate of unemployment the company has to shell out for.

What is really worse is, I’ve seen places have no desire to fire John, they were going to fire Fred. And John indicates that he wouldn’t “mind” being laid off. So not only do they get rid of Fred but they say “Hey let’s really trim this payroll and get rid of John too.”

You’d be far better off keeping your job and look for another one. Then you can always offer to help the laid off people.

Suppose you quit and then in a month they lay off another round of people. And you would’ve been in this second round. You’d have one more month of pay, insurance and vacation time.