Layoffs

 We got notice last week that the company is planning on laying off 25% (~130 people) of its Canadian corporate workforce, with the expectation of either eliminating the roles or moving them to the US (where most our growth has been over the past few years). They offered everybody in Canada voluntary buyout packages - deadline to accept is this week. If they don't get enough takers, then in December they'll proceed with further layoffs. So it's a pretty broad brush, difficult to see exactly how things will operate afterwards.

I did some math over the weekend and think I'm better off taking the risk of the layoff and turning down the package (though it's pretty generous, as these things go). 

Nobody is "safe", but my guess is someone would step in and pull me out of the layoff list if it comes to that, though I would expect it's likely that I would be reassigned to a completely different job. There's always the risk that doesn't happen, though. I think afterwards it will be quite stressful, both coming to terms with  colleagues who left either voluntarily and involuntarily, and then trying to figure out how to make everything work after the fact with significantly less people. 

I've been through quite a few layoff rounds but it's been a while since the last big one, and this looks like the biggest one since maybe around 2013 or so. There's been hardly any work done over the last couple of weeks - this is all anyone is talking about.

I'm a bit cranky as the new CEO is spending money on unnecessary things that primarily benefit the executive, and has hired several friends as VPs, and I'm not sold on the strategic direction of the company, but I'll get over it. Should know more about how I'm impacted by early December.