[ocdtrekkie]

This may be really difficult for such a large number of staff to reduce, but if any sort of temporary furlough arrangement would let you reduce headcounts while giving people time to find employment, it could be huge for some people.

My first job in the industry, I was in a five person department that needed to reduce it's headcount by one. I can tell you that had someone laid someone off, it would've been me, just because of the needed experience and locations and stuff like that. Though it was never said at the time, it just is the logical call.

Anyways, my boss chose instead to furlough the entire department one day a week. Obviously we lost 20% of our pay and had an extra day off a week. I found it actually really nice at the time because my income was well above my spending then, and I had a weekday off for doctor's appointments and post office trips and stuff which is hard to do when you 9-5 Mon-Fri. But obviously the company was in a weak spot, so I also started looking for a new job.

When I found one, everyone else in my department went back to full time, I never had a gap that prevented me from covering my bills. I am still super grateful to that employer for how they handled this.

[throwaway345826]

This is a really good idea that I'm going to suggest. If nothing else, it gives more people more time to look for another real job...

[doktorhladnjak]

Be cautious doing this. Many people can’t easily take a 20% pay cut. Your best people might instead choose to leave. Others may be bitter about it. Since they’re sticking around it can drag down morale. This is only possibly viable if there’s a clear plan back to 100%. There’s a reason it’s not commonly done.