Just received my early retirement offer packet

[Brat]

When I worked in the public sector I negotiated several, a couple of which pop up in hr discourse from time to time.

I actually managed to get an executive to put his criteria in writing!

Yes it is possible, but not easy.

 

[Nords]

Well, one thing to consider if they do lay you off and replace you with a younger person at lower cost, you would have basis for an age discrimination law suit. Of course your work history would have to be impeccable. If you stay, document everything, records and all conversations with management.

My FIL ER'd in '94 when the CBS Washington bureau tried to buy out management. The union (IBEW) parsed the contracts and figured out that the bureau had to offer the buyout to everyone, not just to management. Faced with a lawsuit, the bureau reluctantly offered it to everyone. Of course every gray-haired technician in the bureau promptly took the offer, while most of the management hunkered down and hoped not to have their name called.

My FIL took the lump sum and never looked back. He'd been there since '64 and covering the '92 election had permanently soured him on the job. But many of the technicians took contract jobs (camera & audio) or opened up their own repair shops. Their #1 customer, of course, was the CBS Washington bureau. Or, depending on your perspective, Monica Lewinsky.

 

[LeavingOhio]

Lisa99,

Nice to have the option that you do. I would be VERY tempted to take the offer, though I can see your reasons for not doing so. I'm sure you know your company well. In my experience, when it comes to layoff time, middle manager types are the ones most likely to get cut, so I'd likely take the deal if I were in your situation. Not that it's fair, but at your age and salary level, I would think they would target someone like you. It's hard to prove age discrimination...they can just restructure themselves around that.

I know three people well who took deals similar to yours (9 months to a year of pay to retire early), and none of them regret it. Here's hoping your job is there as long as you want it to be.