Present the employee with the severance agreement, worked on by your HR manager, and walk through each section. Leave time for the employee to ask questions and make clear the time frame during which the employee has time to meet with their lawyer, as well as their last day.
Neither the California Labor Code nor the federal Fair Labor Standards Act require employers to offer severance agreements to departing employees. Instead, severance agreements are provided by employers to accomplish a specific goal.
Lack of Voluntary Consent: Under California law, a severance agreement can be considered valid and enforceable only if the parties entered into it voluntarily. If your consent was obtained through coercion, duress, or fraud, the agreement will be deemed invalid.
Present the employee with the severance agreement, worked on by your HR manager, and walk through each section. Leave time for the employee to ask questions and make clear the time frame during which the employee has time to meet with their lawyer, as well as their last day.
You and your employer must follow certain legal formalities for a severance agreement to be enforceable. You must ensure that the agreement is in writing and that your employer has signed it. Sometimes, you might also need a witness or have it notarized. Failing to adhere to these formalities can void the agreement.
disparagement clause generally prevents employees from disclosing certain confidential business information or saying anything negative about their former employer. Confidentiality clauses generally prohibit employees from sharing details of the severance agreement.
For instance, in some states there are only two things that can get an agreement overturned by the court. The first is if a spouse signed under duress. This means that if the spouse was forced to sign through the threat of violence. The second is that the agreement is deemed unconscionable.
Severance packages are typically offered to executives and employees who are laid off due to downsizing or restructuring. They are not usually offered to people who resign or who are fired for poor performance or other causes.