Companies get creative to avoid layoffs
In the search for reduced labor costs, some companies are beginning to explore alternatives to laying off employees. In addition to such established cost-cutting practices as hiring freezes, firms are experimenting with non-traditional approaches like employee sharing, giving employees stipends to work for non-profit organizations, and allowing employees to take leaves of absence to work for other companies. Employers are testing these strategies in the hope that they will allow them to cut down on labor costs without losing loyal employees.
See "Companies get creative to avoid layoffs", Stephanie Armour, USA Today, September 4, 2001