Should I Pursue Legal Action Over My Severance Package Or Let It Go?
I worked as an Executive Assistant and was laid off from my job on Friday with no prior warning. I didn’t see it coming at all. Part of me thinks it might be retaliation because I couldn’t attend a mandatory company dinner in November that was located four hours from my home. I have an autoimmune disease that developed after surviving cancer, and it was flaring up at the time. I let my VP know in advance and even offered to provide a doctor’s note, but she was quite snippy about it and insisted that I should attend. Since then, my boss’s attitude and tone toward me noticeably changed.
Aside from that one incident, I’ve been an exemplary employee. I’ve never had any issues, write-ups, or performance plans, and coworkers have often complimented my professionalism and my ability to go above and beyond in my duties.
I also suspect my position might have been outsourced to the Philippines, which my former employer has been doing a lot lately to save costs. Over the past few months, bits and pieces of my work were reassigned to workers in the Philippines, and reflecting now, I feel that could have been part of their plan.
Yesterday, I received a severance package PDF to review, and I was told I have five days to respond, or the offer will be void. The severance agreement requires me to waive my rights to sue, along with a few other terms I found questionable. The amount they are offering is incredibly low, especially considering I would have been employed there for three years next month:
“A. Employer will pay Employee a 'Severance Amount' consisting of a single payment of Eight Hundred Forty-Seven Dollars and Ninety-Eight Cents ($847.98), representing gross wages, less any applicable taxes and withholdings, within 10 business days following the Effective Date of this Agreement."
I’m trying to figure out if this is something I should pursue legally to try to negotiate a better severance package or if I should just let it go. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated.
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