AOL’s recent announcement about their voluntary separation packages brings back the question of whether or not the acceptance of a voluntary package is a good thing or not in this economy? First of all, let’s be real about why companies offer voluntary packages. The reason is to soften the blow of what is coming and to go ahead and flush out those who have already been looking for a job, have a job in hand, or just don’t want to be there. This way there isn’t the keeping of someone who already has a job in hand and removing someone who wants to be a part of the company. There are many pros and cons to this approach and I have been a part of creating and administering these programs successfully. Where they fall down is when the offer is not accepted by enough people and the alternative is that there is still a forced reduction that comes after the voluntary period has passed. That in turn leaves those who didn’t accept the package, who get laid off later, with a smaller package, upset and not being long-term goodwill ambassadors of the company. In this economy, I would be leery ...
![](http://www.glassdoor.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/falco-ratings-slide.jpg "AOL\")
