Personalabbau: Run auf Abfindungen bei BMW: Lohnt es sich, schnell zu sein?

BMW is undertaking a workforce reduction program and has launched an individual severance package initiative. The interest among employees to view the individual severance offers is high, according to the company. However, what makes a severance package attractive and for whom it is worth considering an offer is explained by labor law expert Volker Görzel from Cologne.

"Severance packages typically consist of various components, usually including months of gross salary and a certain factor," Görzel explains. The higher the individual values, the higher the severance package. In addition, there are often floor amounts, i.e., a certain minimum amount of severance, as employees with short employment tenure have less incentive to leave.

Additional bonuses can be provided for older employees or for those who decide on the offer quickly - a so-called signing bonus. Whether a severance package is attractive depends heavily on one's personal circumstances. Görzel states that older employees with long employment tenure generally benefit the most. For whom is it worth taking the severance package?

Görzel's experience suggests that severance offers are particularly attractive for employees aged 55 and above. "Many older employees no longer wish to work, and employers often add something to the severance to bridge the time until retirement," Görzel notes. Younger employees, on the other hand, usually have better chances of finding a new job, resulting in lower severance packages.

Whether the offer is worth it for them depends mainly on whether additional years of employment tenure are credited or if they receive an attractive floor amount. Ultimately, the decision depends on one's personal life situation. "Especially those with a mortgage, children of school age, or limited mobility should carefully consider whether a severance agreement is worth it financially," Görzel advises.

Is it worth acting quickly? Not every severance program requires employees to make a decision quickly. If there is a signing bonus for those who act fast, it is usually clearly communicated from the start. However, there is usually a deadline within which employees must express their interest in a severance package. They should adhere to this deadline.

Then, the employer and employee typically discuss the conditions, including whether the employer will allow the employee to resign. Employers may not offer a severance agreement if the employee is essential to the operation. Görzel explains that this principle generally relies on dual voluntariness.