Would You Quit Your Job for $5,000 ?

Sounds like one of those urban legends, doesn't it? You know, like the one's where if you click on a link, your family gets into Disney World free for life. Well, it's not urban legend, nor is it a joke. Why on earth would a major corporation offer it's workers money to quit their jobs?

My first thought was that, somehow, it was a money saving way to downsize a workforce, but it's not. The actual answer makes a lot of sense for the company and the workers.

Amazon, by nature, is a very forward thinking company and the reason they are offering workers $5,000 dollars to quit is actually very sound and works out for Amazon and the workers who take the offer.

If you are not really happy doing what you are doing, would you take up to $5,000 to quit? I think quite a few people, especially if they would much rather be doing something else, would jump at such an offer. There, in a nutshell, is Amazon's reasoning.

In an article in The Exchange by Aaron Pressman , Pressman states:

The goal of the offer is to encourage unmotivated and disaffected employees to leave on their own, while making employees who reject the offer feel more dedicated to the job.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was quoted as saying, “The goal is to encourage folks to take a moment and think about what they really want,” CEO Bezos explained in a letter to shareholders this week. “In the long-run, an employee staying somewhere they don’t want to be isn’t healthy for the employee or the company.”

Let that sink in and ask yourself whether you like what you are doing and, more importantly, would you take the money and run? **

** Apologies for the Steve Miller Band quote.