Employment Law and the Negotiation of Severance in New Jersey

There is no magic to negotiating severance in New Jersey. The negotiation of satisfactory severance agreement terms will depend on the strength of your potential employment case and your employer. Whether your employer is a large corporation or a small business will play into the mix. Generally, the larger companies are more likely to offer better severance packages. At the same time, if your potential employment case is weak, the larger company more likely has the resources to retain outside counsel and will oppose any resolution.

It is a myth that for each year of employment, you are entitled to a certain amount of pay in your severance. It helps that you have been employed by a company for a long time in that it adds value to your case, but it is not an exact measurement of what you should be entitled to.

When negotiating severance, you want to consider terms such as: health insurance coverage; a potential letter of reference (though this is very difficult to obtain); a promise by the employer not to challenge unemployment; your termination be treated as a resignation for purposes of the severance agreement; and a payment in one lump sum. While employers like to break up the severance payments over pay periods, it is better to receive the payment in one lump sum because you decrease your chances of having any payment issue.

If you think that you have been wrongfully terminated based on discrimination or for another reason, contact the Law Office of H. Benjamin Sharlin LLC for an initial free consultation regarding your potential employment law matter.

The Law Office of H. Benjamin Sharlin LLC is owned and operated by H. Benjamin Sharlin and serves all of Mercer County, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Mr. Sharlin is a bilingual Spanish-speaking attorney who vigorously represents the interests of all his clients.

Please be advised that this blog is for informational purposes only, is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.