Tough economic times often force employers to make difficult decisions to keep their businesses viable, including laying off employees to reduce payroll costs.  Employers, however, often consider alternatives to layoffs. These alternatives allow employers to retain their employees (particularly top talent and employees with institutional knowledge).  Employers understand that keeping employees on-board in anticipation of an upswing in the economy will also reduce the need to re-hire and re-train personnel – which could be costly. Many companies institute short-term hiatuses, called furloughs, as an alternative to permanent job cuts.  Furloughs are not new but […]