An employer is not required to provide its employees with severance pay but your employment contract or company policy may define severance benefits that your company will provide to you if you have been fired, laid off, or are downsized.  

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     The biggest reason why employers offer a severance package is to prevent you from suing them for wrongful termination or discrimination. Also, it can include terms such as a non-solicitation clause, confidentiality clause, restrictive covenants, no-compete clauses, non-disparagement clauses and other clauses and conditions that benefit the company tremendously but can significantly affect your ability to obtain new employment.  Many employees will sometimes take the money without understanding exactly what they have signed and the obligations that they may have in the future as a result of signing the severance agreement.

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     Let us review these agreements to see if we might be able to improve the offer or add benefits (such as extended medical benefits, other insurance, outplacement services, or a better job reference) and to be sure you are not signing away any rights or agreeing to any unreasonable or unfair conditions. Please Contact Us to schedule a legal consultation.