Verizon said that it will offer voluntary buyouts to 10,400 workers as it prepares to make major investments in 5G network technology.
Employees who volunteered for the program were notified Monday as to whether they were accepted and what their last day of work at Verizon will be. The employment terminations are occurring in three tiers—the end of 2018, through March 2019, or through June 2019, determined by the wind-down needs of the specific job.
Employees are eligible for up to 60 additional paid weeks, bonus and benefits, depending on their length of service. The layoffs account for about 7.3% of Verizon’s 152,300 workers.
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“These changes are well-planned and anticipated, and they will be seamless to our customers,” said Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, writing in a company blog post. “This is a moment in time, given our financial and operational strength, to begin to better serve customers with more agility, speed and flexibility.”
Added a Verizon press release: “This program coincides with Verizon’s recently announced realigned organization structure designed to optimize growth opportunities in the 5G era.”
