As part of a cost-cutting drive
People familiar with the matter say Toyota is taking pains to avoid the continuity problems that Nissan faced when it relocated its North American offices from Southern California to Tennessee several years ago as part of a cost-cutting drive. Nissan says it retained about 42 percent of its work force at the time of the move.
Toyota is "rewarding people for staying and rewarding them again for going," said a consultant who is helping the automaker with the move to Texas.
"HR was very clear that they were blown away by how generous it was."
Toyota said that it has budgeted to retain 50 percent of its work force -- a rough estimate of the number needed to stanch losses in productivity during the transition -- but internally, said one person familiar with the matter, management fears that number will be closer to 30 percent.
"They would be happy to have 50 percent," said that person, who asked not to be identified. "It's hard to tell [how many people will go] because nobody has been offered their jobs yet."