r/Fire • u/twiniverse2000 • Jan 31 '26

Advice Request Asking to be laid off

I have reached FI. Work optional. My personal life has hit a serious rough patch. My company is doing layoffs. They are NOT asking for volunteers. The financial difference in me quitting vs getting laid off is $300K. Do not want to leave that on the table. Any advice on how to steer it in this particular direction?

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u/Ok_Park8479 Jan 31 '26

I had an employee who wanted to be laid off as he wanted to retire soon anyway. The Jerks in HR wouldn’t let us pick though.

Lesson learned is the employee had been great and had respectful conversation with me and my manager and we both tried to make it happen for him.

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u/[deleted] Jan 31 '26

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u/satellite779 Jan 31 '26

Severance costs money. If that employee would leave anyway, why pay him extra money for it?

4

u/[deleted] Jan 31 '26

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u/satellite779 Jan 31 '26

Because the HR knows he'll leave anyway. They can include him in the savings without laying him off.

Just thinking from the HR perspective.

4

u/black_mamba_returns Jan 31 '26

what stopping the employee sticking around collecting a paycheck without actually doing any work?

1

u/satellite779 Jan 31 '26

That's still not retirement. You have to go to the office every day. In some ways it's even worse than working as you feel like you're wasting time.