With just about everyone pulling at their collars over the economy right now, more and more people are winding up on the chopping block. Amongst the many companies on layoff watch at the moment is Sprint; after bleeding out over 1.3 million customers over the last quarter, it’s pretty clear that Sprint was going to have to cut back their employee headcount.

Forced layoffs are no fun for anyone – Sprint knows that. Rather than dumping a big box of “We thank you for your time and dedication, but…” letters onto desks around the nation, Sprint is offering buyouts to an unspecified chunk of its employee base. Specific details of the buyout haven’t been disclosed so it’s not clear how enticing their offer might be, but employees have until December 3rd to jump ship. It all sounds nice and friendly, but being given the option to leave probably doesn’t feel a whole lot better than getting the axe.