BMW’s internal HR portal was overwhelmed after the automaker emailed employees in Germany about individual voluntary severance offers on October 8, Handelsblatt reported the following day.
About 40,000 eligible employees could access personalised offers, according to a report citing German automotive trade coverage. That figure refers to access to the programme, not to employees who have accepted an offer or plan to leave. BMW has not disclosed how many will ultimately take severance.
The programme is one part of BMW’s previously announced restructuring, which aims to reduce about 8,000 positions in Germany by the end of 2027, primarily outside production. The portal disruption highlights an operational challenge in administering a workforce transition at this scale.
