What You Should Do If You Get Laid Off

With the number of layoffs during this recessionto 66 percent of companies in 2002. Employees
increasing daily, employees need to know theirneed legal and HR counsel to review their
rights when dealing with their severance packages.agreements to "knock out" any confidentiality
Employees need to negotiate their severance payprovisions, noncompete and nonsolicitation
and severance benefit packages, but they needagreements, and nondisparagement clauses, as
to know how to avoid legal disputes, and how towell as other restrictive covenants which can
maintain good relations with their formeraffect their career and financial future. Moreover,
employers while do so.Courts across the country have continued to limit
Many employees believe they cannot negotiatecircumstances in which employers can use
their severance package benefits or severancereleases or waivers in conjunction with severance
pay, but this is not true. Now, during these poorbenefits. In fact, many types of employment
economic times, more than ever is the time toclaims cannot be released in a severance package
get the best severance deal. Many professionalsbecause of specific statutory provisions.
we work with state that during the recessionYou need both legal AND human resources
they are afraid to negotiate their severanceexperts on your side to assist you in getting the
package. However, this is the best time to do itbest severance package!
as companies are now willing to provide betterGet what you're worth,
severance pay packages due to the recession.Get what you've earned,
Lee Hecht Harrison in a new survey noted thatGet what you're legally entitled to receive,
despite recent employer cost cutting, 65 percentGet Career Protection-Your advantage in
of 1,072 surveyed HR executives said theiremployment negotiations.
companies have maintained their severanceAbout Career Protection®
policies, while 19 percent have made them "moreA leading national provider of employment
generous". In addition, a recent survey released innegotiations advice, the human resource and legal
March, 2009 by the Philadelphia-based Hay Groupexperts at Career Protection® have
found that over one-third of 180 employers (39protected the careers of professionals throughout
percent) are enhancing their severance packages.the United States, Canada, and Europe. Career
However, companies require employees to sign aProtection has negotiated hundreds of
Release or Waiver of Legal Claims before theyemployment agreements and severance pay
can receive severance benefits, and this practicepackages. Career Protection's HR and
is increasing. In Severance Practices Around theemployment law experts have previously served
World, Right Management found that 73 percentas Vice Presidents of Human Resources, Directors
of companies worldwide required separatedof Human Resources, Corporate Counsel
employees to sign a waiver or release of liabilityAttorneys, or Recruiters for many Fortune 500
to obtain severance benefits in 2008, comparedand Global Corporations.