BMW slows down its voluntary severance program after overwhelming employee demand

BMW rolled out a voluntary severance program for employees, but the response quickly exceeded the firm’s capacity. The online system handling individual offers crashed under heavy traffic, and the human resources unit reported that processing each request now requires personal meetings and contract negotiations. A BMW spokesperson acknowledged the high level of interest but offered no additional comment on the program’s timeline.

Internally, the company is considering limiting the number of new applications to keep the department functional. Earlier reports suggested a temporary pause, and the initiative is part of a broader cost-saving plan that targets thousands of non-production jobs across Germany, especially at the Munich headquarters. The move follows a recent profit warning issued by the new CEO, Milan Nedeljković.