Tag Archives: severance

What to do if you are Wrongfully Terminated

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By John Moran

For the Financial Independence Hub

If you are ever fired from a job it can set your financial goals back quite a bit. Sure, you may receive a handsome termination and severance package, but you had planned on working for more years to reach your goals. Getting fired means you may have no money coming in for a while. What really makes that sting is when you feel you were wrongfully terminated.

If there was retaliation against you for doing something that you felt was right, such as calling out discrimination or a hostile workplace, then you were wrongfully terminated as that is illegal. You would definitely have a case for some DC employment lawyers but to make sure your case is successful you’ll need to take some measures. In this article, we will go over what you should do if you feel you were part of a wrongful termination.

Get an explanation from the company

 Most jobs these days are at-will, meaning that you can actually be fired as long as you are not part of a protected class of workers. That doesn’t mean that any reason at all is valid justification. Even in states where employees are at-will you still can’t be fired for no reason.

You should get a written explanation from your company as to why you were fired. If you were wrongfully terminated then you should be able to rebut their reasons for firing you as long as you have some evidence to back it up. Continue Reading…

8 things you need to know about termination and severance pay

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Photo by Pau Casals on Unsplash

By Kevin Press

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Earlier this year I shared what I hope was a good-humoured look back at my being shown the exit after 14 years with one of the country’s major insurance companies. Because the news did not come as a surprise, I went into my “touchpoint” that Tuesday morning with a pretty good idea of what to look for in the package they put in front of me.

Like anything else, the more you know about what you’re owed and what you can reasonably negotiate, the better. In Ontario, for example, provincial employment law requires either written notice of termination, termination pay or a combination of the two, assuming you didn’t quit, you’ve been employed a minimum three consecutive months and you’re not guilty of misconduct. (There are additional exceptions; consult a lawyer.) Termination pay runs one to eight weeks in the province, depending on how long you were employed.

Severance pay is a separate matter for those forced to leave an employer. Your age, what kind of profession you’re in, how senior you are, what shape the job market is in and other factors will all be taken into consideration if you end up in court. Chances are though – with the help of a lawyer – you and your former employer can negotiate a satisfactory settlement.

It is a learning experience, to say the least. Eight big lessons:

  • What’s put in front of you is a starting point for discussion, not unlike a job offer. Do not sign off on a severance offer the day you’re fired. Hire a lawyer. Sleep on it. Discuss what you need with your partner or spouse. Think carefully about what you want and negotiate through your representative.
  • You’ve probably been told to expect one month of severance for every year of service. There is no guarantee you’ll land there. You may be offered less. Don’t be discouraged. If you’re offered more, don’t let that dissuade you from negotiating a better deal. Continue Reading…