Severance Package Remove Demanded Field For Free

Do You Have to Accept a Severance Package? The short answer is no. You don't have to accept what your employer offers, nor do you have to sign a release. A release is valid only if it's voluntary: If your employer requires or coerces you sign, it won't be upheld in court.

Unless you have an employment contract specifying what you will receive in severance, an employer can generally change its severance plan at any time. There's nothing to stop an employer from modifying the plan or getting rid of it altogether, as long as it provides advance notice to employees.

The severance pay offered is typically one to two weeks for every year worked, but can be more.The general practice is to try to get four weeks of severance pay for each year worked. Middle managers and executives usually receive a higher amount. Some executives, for example, may receive pay for more than a year.

1. What should a severance package include? Your severance package should include information about your financial compensation under the agreementfor example, how much you will be paid and how it will be paidas well as how you will be compensated for your unused vacation and sick time.

As a general rule, severance agreements can be rescinded by the employer up until the moment they are signed. Once signed, in general, only the employee can rescind (and that only for a limited period of time).Anyone offered a severance agreement should consult an attorney prior to signing.

If you look at the question Should I take the package? from a pure risk-management standpoint, then you should take the package, because if you take it you are guaranteed four months of income, and if you pass on the package you are not guaranteed four months or even four weeks.

If you want to work for a competitor, if you have valid legal claims against your employer, or if you anticipate being unemployed for a significant length of time then it may be in your financial best interest to turn down the severance money and refuse to sign the release of claims.