eMployMenT law
fiReD!
yoU���Re
first thing: don���t Panic and JUst
Blindly sign anything right aWay.
take time to think throUgh the
conseQUences.
BY sioBhan mcclelland
Y
ou���re in a meeting with your employer and have just
been told that you���re job is being terminated. It is a
terrible shock, but on top of that, your employer is
handing you documents and asking you to sign them.
While you may feel pressure to sign right away, the
next steps you take could affect your financial future as
you prepare to re-enter the job market. ���I always tell people that they
should take some time to think about what they need to do and think
about their options,��� says employment lawyer Andrea Wobick of Ursel
Phillips Fellows Hopkinson LLP, adding that she often sees employees
panic and sign agreements without thinking through the consequences.
The first step to determining what severance package is appropriate
is to look at whether the employee was ���terminated with cause,��� such
as in circumstances of theft or criminal misconduct. If terminated for
cause, Wobick says employees are not entitled to any termination or
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