Are You Asking for Enough When Negotiating Your Severance? By Dan Atkerson on May 03, 2017

negotiating severanceFox news will allegedly give ex-employee Bill O’ Reilly up to $25 million after firing him amid multiple harassment claims. They also gave ex-CEO Roger Ailes 40 million after he left after harassment charges as well. These severance payments may seem excessive, but their employee contracts promised a full years pay. Severance packages will not apply to most employees, but if you have one in your employment contract, the employer must legally abide to the terms in it. Negotiating your severance package can seem intimidating, and it is an easy situation to leave the job with less than you should have received. Keep reading below for some severance negotiation tactics.

What to Ask Yourself When Negotiating Your Severance

  1. Should I wait to sign? Waiting to sign a severance agreement is a good plan to see if you can negotiate a better plan in due time. Also, avoiding cashing checks with severance pay is a good idea, because cashing one could mean that you have agreed to the terms in the severance agreement.
  2. How much should I ask for? How long you were employed at the company, how important your position was to them, how long one can be expected to be unemployed in the current job market, and how long you need to update skills to apply for others jobs are all factors to consider when asking for more money.
Other factors when deciding severance are how to receive the payments, such as staying on company payroll for other benefits, or taking the money all at once. These are a few examples of questions that can arise while negotiating, and decisions can become very complicated. Contacting a Dallas severance negotiation lawyer could be a great way to help start sort some of them out.

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Dan Atkerson

Law Offices of Dan A. Atkerson

Dan A. Atkerson has been protecting the rights of North Texas employees for over nearly four decades. He is affiliated with several prestigious legal organizations, including: 

  • The State Bar of Texas
  • The Dallas Bar Association
  • The United States Court of Appeals Fifth Circuit
  • Texas Supreme Court and all Texas trial and appellate courts
  • Texas federal courts for the Northern and Eastern Districts of Texas

Through aggressive, knowledgeable representation, he has helped clients all over the state reach significant verdicts and settlements. To schedule a consultation at our law firm, request an appointment online or call us at (214) 383-3606.

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