Feeling the pressure to take more bench time

Management is really pushing for people to take unpaid leave or 'personal development' time if they aren't directly billable right now. I’ve been with SLB for five years, and usually, they find something to keep us busy, but the vibe is totally different this time around. It feels like they are clearing the deck or trying to force people out voluntarily before they have to do the messy stuff. A few guys in my department already took the bait and left, but I’m worried that if I don’t push back, I’m basically signaling that I’m expendable. Has anyone else been pressured into these 'flexible' scheduling arrangements? Just wondering if this is a company-wide initiative or if my specific geo-market is just looking for ways to cut costs without an official announcement.