Severance and pushed out
A cold front with a paper to sign
It is usually a short meeting. A layoff, a change in your role, a request to resign. Then a folder with a few weeks of pay and a release that asks you to give up your claims.
Do not sign in the room. You can almost always take the paper home, and we will read every page with you: what you are paid, what you are giving up, and what you can still ask for.
What we check in the paper
The release and what it gives up
How the pay is figured and when it arrives
Health coverage and unused leave
Limits on where you can work next
Before you sign
What can change in a severance offer
Many first offers have room in them. Here is where we usually look.
The amount
Whether a week of pay per year of work is the best you can ask for.
Health coverage
Who pays for insurance after your last day, and for how long.
Restrictions
Non-compete, non-disparagement and confidentiality terms in the fine print.
References
What your employer agrees to say, in writing, when someone calls.
Before you sign a severance paper
How long do I have to decide?
The paper usually says. Some offers must give you time to think it over, and we can often ask for more.
Is it worth paying a lawyer to read a severance letter?
Often, yes. The review is a flat-fee service, and we tell you the price before we start.
Can I still bring a claim if I sign?
Usually not, which is why the paper matters so much. We tell you what the release covers before you decide.
Bring the folder before you sign
Send or bring the paper. We will tell you what it says in plain words.