If it seems highly likely that you'll lose your job soon anyway, then obviously taking the early retirement offer is the only logical step.
- Make sure you are realistic in evaluating your organization's future. Being either unrealistically pessimistic OR unrealistically optimistic can cause you to make a decision you might regret.
- Gather information from as many sources as possible and evaluate the credibility of the information before coming to a conclusion about what your future would be like if you stayed on the job. Sources of information might include: supervisors, employer finance office, co-workers, union representatives, others who have experienced similar situations in the past, and more.
If the early retirement offer is limited to one division or a narrow segment of the organization, that likely means that significant change is ahead. Staying on the job could mean reassignment, demotion, or eventual layoff.
On the other hand, if the early retirement offer is being made across the whole range of employees (perhaps to all employees above a certain age), then turning down the offer may be less risky.