Over 31 public companies in 20 industries have voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 since the beginning of 2020. Not all have been the result of COVID-19 pandemic, but there are a few that were hard hit due to the economy closing. The effects of a reorganization can have long-lasting consequences for employees. Typically, junior staff are laid off, but senior executives get a safety net.
Case in point, Hertz Global Holdings, which filed for Chapter 11, May 26, 2020. Approximately 10,000 people lost their jobs, but 340 executives, directors and above, received a retention bonus augmented by a severance plan, should events go awry. Hertz’s Company Profile (as seen below) illustrates the precipitous drop in the stock price since the “stay at home” order went into effect.