Severance Agreement Review

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What is a Severance Agreement Review?

A severance agreement review is a process of evaluating a contract between an employer and an employee that details the terms of their separation. It may be used by either party to ensure that they are treated fairly during the termination process. You need to make sure that your severance agreement is legally sound to protect your rights.

When you work for a company, you enter an employment contract, which includes terms like compensation and benefits, job description, termination, and working hours. When an employer terminates your employment, it must follow specific procedures to avoid liability under federal and state law and may offer you a severance agreement.

A severance agreement is one way employers can protect themselves from lawsuits by employees who feel they were wrongfully terminated.

Why is a Severance Agreement Review Important?

A severance agreement is a contract between an employer and an employee that provides terms for terminating the employment relationship.

For example, if your employer decides to lay off part of its workforce, it may offer severance packages to those being let go.

A severance agreement review is important for many reasons, some of which are below:

Common Terms in a Severance Agreement

The terms of a severance agreement are typically similar. Below are some terms to know and look out for when looking at your severance agreement:

Severance Pay

Severance pay is a payment made to an employee upon termination of the employment relationship. It may be paid in the form of a lump sum or can be in the form of regular payments over some time.

Benefits Package

In addition to getting paid, employees often have questions about their benefits after they leave a job. A severance agreement can specify whether an employee will continue to receive medical coverage through COBRA or if they will be eligible for unemployment benefits. It might also include information about whether they can participate in their company's retirement plan after leaving their job.

Non-Compete Clause

A non-compete clause prohibits an employee from working for another company in the same industry for a certain period after leaving employment with their current employer. These clauses are often used as part of severance agreements because they protect intellectual property while allowing employees to move on to other opportunities quickly after leaving one job for another.

Confidentiality Agreement

A confidentiality agreement is a contract that prohibits the parties from disclosing information. The purpose of such an agreement is to prevent the disclosure of information that may be detrimental to one party or another. The agreement can be used in almost any type of business. It can apply to any information relating to the company or any other parties involved in the operation of that company.

Covenant Not to Sue

A covenant not to sue is a promise by the employee not to take legal action against the employer after leaving. It may also be called a release or waiver. A covenant not to sue is intended to protect your company from potential lawsuits by former employees who claim they were wrongfully terminated or are owed money for work performed during their employment.

Covenants not to sue usually specify what types of claims will be barred by the covenant and how long it lasts after employment ends. For example, if you have a covenant that bars former employees from filing lawsuits against you for three years after leaving your company, any lawsuit filed during that time would be thrown out because it was filed too late under this covenant.

Termination date

This is when the employee's employment will end, and the company will no longer employ them. The termination date cannot be changed once it is set unless there is a mutual agreement between the employer and the employee.

Reason for termination

The reason for terminating an employee's employment should be clearly stated in this agreement section. It is usually listed as "terminated for cause" or "terminated without cause." If you terminate an employee for cause, you can withhold all or part of their final paycheck if you feel they owe you money for any reason (e.g., damaged company property).