To retrench.. or not

Retrenchments only work when the company discriminates when choosing who to get rid of (or to be direct – fire). Forget all blanket rules such as “all people with less than 3 year’s service” or “people older than 55”. And please forget voluntary retrenchment packages as they NEVER work. You will only see experienced and value-adding staff leave the company, as they are marketable and will easily find a new position elsewhere. You will end up with dead wood staying on, and this obviously defeats the objective.