Severance pay is the compensation or the benefit an employee gets when leaving a company. A severance package is determined by the time spent by the employee servicing the company. The employers are legally obliged to pay a certain compensation fee to the employees when they ask them to leave the company.
Normally, people are not well familiar with the concept and will take anything their employer offers in the concealed shades of generosity. Many employers steal from their employees without giving them a hint. Therefore, it is important to let a lawyer handle the matters for you.
Here are five reasons why you need a lawyer to handle your end-employment benefit package.
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1. Employer Owes You More Than They Offer
Very few people know that the amount of money their employer is offering at the time of termination is far less than what they owe them. If you have worked for over 30 years at a company and your employer is offering you a severance pay of 26 weeks, then do not think of your employer as a big-hearted generous person. A lawyer will tell you that you have a claim for about 24 months of the compensation package. That is why you should hire a lawyer to handle this process.
2. Employer Is Putting A Deadline
Sometimes, employers put a deadline for their employees to sign the severance package, or else they will take back their offer. However, this has no standing in the eyes of law. You should hire a lawyer in this situation. Because a lawyer can not put a deadline on the severance pay. An employee can claim their right for up to 2 years from the date of his termination.
3. Your Were Hired On Contract
Most companies hire people for their services on a contract basis. They may cancel the contract anytime they want without offering any severance pay to the contractor. Very few people know that a contractor may be considered an employee and has a right to severance pay. If you were such a person who worked on contracts, then you should hire a lawyer to work out your situation and see if you have a rightful claim to severance pay.
4. You Worked For Short Period
An employer may terminate you after six months of your services and offer you a Severance pay of a mere one week. Many cases have come forward where unjustified termination of employees got severance pay off far more than what employers normally offer. If you have worked for six months in a company, and your employer fired you for apparently no reason, then you should get a lawyer to fight for you. You may get more severance pay than being offered.
5. You Were Fired For A Cause
Lastly, you should get a lawyer from your employer who claims to have fired you for a justified cause. Coming late to the office, being active on social media during job hours, or having misbehaved with the employer outside the office hours does not justify being ‘cause’ of your termination. Your lawyer can get you a better deal out of the situation.
