Every worker knows the unfairness of layoffs – how companies can fire you immediately without warning, but you need to give them notice weeks before the walk-out day. Well, Google has solved this problem by presenting a “voluntary exit” program.
All US employees working in the Platforms & Devices group, which includes Android (Auto, TV, Wear OS, XR), Chrome, ChromeOS, Google Photos, Google One, Pixel, Fitbit, and Nest, can use the program to quit and get severance benefits.
Google merged Android and Pixel last year, turning them into the Platforms & Devices division, and the company’s SVP Rick Osterloh said it had received questions about the possibility of such an exit since employees couldn’t leave in advance during past layoffs where it let go of hundreds of workers (involuntarily on their part, I must add.)
Osterloh’s memo paints the program as beneficial for those who might “not be aligned or passionate about the combined organization’s mission or are having difficulty with their roles, and hybrid working requirements,” according to 9to5Google’s article.
With the initiative, Google wants employees “to be deeply committed to our mission and focused on building great products, with speed and efficiency.”