Six long-serving Digital Equipment Corp vice-presidents in key positions are among a host of staffers accepting the company’s offer of early retirement benefits, and observers are wondering whether the Maynard minimaker can really afford to lose such people. According to the New York Times, the six include Dominic Lacava, head of Unix-based software and systems; William Heffner, image, voice and video; George Chamberlain, marketing and finance; Henry Crouse, strategic relations; Robert Hughes, US sales; and James Cudmore, operations staff. Those considering the pay-off offer had until close of business on Friday to make up their minds. The offer is open to anyone over 50, which seems a rather scatter-shot approach given that their must be people past their half-century that the company wants to keep, and could no doubt pay a loyalty bonus in recompense for not being included in the early retirement offers. The company is expecting 7,000 of its 118,000 employees to accept the offer to quit.
