Thankfully, in California, employers are required to follow certain rules when offering severance agreements to older employees, including providing time to consider the agreement and the option to consult with an attorney.
1. How long do I legally have to sign a severance agreement in California? You usually have 5 business days. However, people 40 and older must be given at least 21 days to consider the agreement or 45 days in group layoffs.
Employees age 40 or older must be given 21 days to consider the employer's offer, unless it is part of a group termination. In a group termination, employees must be given 45 days. If the employee is younger than 40, there is no specified period of time which the employee must be given to sign the severance agreement.
California employers are required to give employees over 40 a minimum of 21 days to review a severance agreement. During this time, employees can seek advice from an attorney or financial advisor. Additionally, employees have 7 days after signing the agreement to revoke it.
Adequate Review Time: The employee must be given 21 days to consider the agreement if they are the sole person being terminated, or 45 days in the case of a group layoff. Revocation Period: After signing, the employee has 7 days to revoke their agreement.
Employees age 40 or older must be given 21 days to consider the employer's offer, unless it is part of a group termination. In a group termination, employees must be given 45 days.
The OWBPA is an amendment to the ADEA that provides additional protections for workers who are 40 years of age or older. It was enacted in 1990 to make it more difficult for employers to use severance agreements to waive older workers' rights.