How Much Severance is Fair?
Published on May 2nd, 2008 by Alan Sklover
Question: I’ve been working for a privately-owned company for 9 years. I’ve just been laid off, and been offered 2 weeks severance, without any negotiations. I think 2 weeks of severance, with lots of strings attached, after 9 years of work isn’t enough. What do you think? (Also, do you have any suggestions?)
Martha, Bellevue, WA
Answer: When it comes to severance, your question is the most important question asked. While every employee, every employer and every severance situation is different, we view one-week-per-year-of-service to be a reasonable minimum severance amount. Your circumstances may warrant more, or less. Might I suggest you look over our Newsletter Library on this blogsite, and read my article about the “Six Sources of Leverage in Severance.” You might also consider buying a copy of my book, Fired, Downsized, or Laid Off (new or used) available from our blogsite, or from Amazon.com. It’s the most popular book on its topic.
Best, Al Sklover
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