With the exception of the last three RIFs, in all other RIFs over the past 30 years they have cut people, with total disregard for departmental work-load, under-staffing, or OT, as they use to select a target number, or percentage, and instruct the managers to select the equivalent percentage from their dept. They first ask for volunteers, and if they didn't get enough, they then make the number up with involuntary. Most often, almost all volunteers gets accepted, regardless of workload or importance of the individual.
The picture is much different now, as the company's deteriorating attitude towards it's employees has opened the floodgate of volunteers, and resignations, forcing the company to be more selective. Unfortunately, that has resulted in the least productive/talented employees, mostly involuntary, getting rewarded with a severance package, and the most productive/talented ones punished with rejection, and increased work-load to boot, driving many to leave on their own.
I have noticed this trend as well, @O43lFQe-1jkl. The good ones are being worked to the bone until they simply can't take it anymore, and they leave on their own.