I often get hired as a mediator to mediate employment cases, and here are issues that come up relative to severance agreements from the employee’s perspective:

(1) Negotiation of the monetary amount - if you do not know how to properly assess legal liability of the termination, you may be undervaluing or overvaluing the payment amount

(2) Non-Compete - some severance agreements include non-compete language that will limit the employee’s ability to obtain a new job 

(3) “Form language” - I hear many people refer to contractual obligations as “form language.” If you sign the agreement, you will like be legally bound to what it says, so its best to know ahead of time what you are agreeing to. 

(4) What happens if the company does not pay the agreed upon amount? There are certain protections in the agreement that can be in place to address this issue. 

The above are issues to consider at mediation and also reasons why both the employee and employer should have employment counsel review these agreements before signing.

Want to work with us to review your severance agreement or mediate your employment case? Reach out HERE and we will schedule a zoom or phone call to discuss.