Being fired can throw your life into chaos, both emotionally and financially. Do not let this chaos cloud your judgment when it comes to accepting a woefully inadequate severance package. Please keep in mind that your employer has every incentive to minimize their severance payout to you, whether you are legally entitled to more or not.
Speaking to an employment lawyer can result in a much higher severance package. Employers hope that their recently terminated employees accept the first severance package that is offered without contacting an employment lawyer. Why make it easy on the employer?
Your employer is obligated to pay termination pay under the Employment Standards Act along with a continuation of benefits that correspond to your length of service with the company. Any extra payment is usually to incentivize you to sign a release, guaranteeing that you will not bring a claim for wrongful dismissal in the future. If your employer is asking you to sign away your legal rights to bring a legitimate claim, you better make sure that you are being provided with a fair severance package.
Here are some Tricks that you can use to determine if the severance package is inadequate:
- If you never signed an employment contract when you first started working and the employer is only offering you your Employment Standards Act minimums → INADEQUATE SEVERANCE
- If a comprehensive benefit package is not included for the duration of your notice period → INADEQUATE SEVERANCE
- If your wage was based on commissions but your commissions were not included in the determination of your payout → INADEQUATE SEVERANCE
Employees who don’t know any better will simply just accept what their employer is willing to provide them. Employees should think about a severance package that is offered as a negotiation. Employees often assume that what is being offered is fair and reasonable but employers typically only offer what they believe will be accepted.
Get a severance package that you are rightfully entitled to. Take advantage of our free consultation to ensure that you are getting the legal entitlements you are owed
