Time spent looking for a new job after losing your current job can be incredibly difficult. This is especially true when it comes to finances. Once you lose your source of income, how are you supposed to pay rent, buy groceries, etc.? To help ease this transition, some companies offer a severance agreement. Read on to learn more about severance agreements in Georgia.

What is a severance agreement?

If you have been laid off from your job, your employer may offer you a severance agreement. This agreement is intended to provide you with a final payment so you can search for another job without worrying about your finances for a period of time. While this sounds great, many severance agreements are unfair to employees. Below, we have outlined common clauses that should not be included in your agreement.

What should not be included in severance agreements?

Unfortunately,  there are times when a severance agreement may do more harm than good. Severance agreements that include the following clauses may be detrimental to you:

• A release of legal claims: A release of legal claims prevents employees from making wrongful termination claims against their former employers. It can be extremely detrimental to sign this if you were wrongfully terminated and deserve to take legal action.
• A proprietary information clause: This is a clause that protects any confidential information you have received regarding the company.
• A non-disparagement clause: A non-disparagement clause is used to prohibit employees from publically speaking negatively about anything to do with the company after being laid off.
• A non-solicitation clause: The purpose o this clause is to prevent the employee who has been laid off from recruiting or hiring co-workers from the company that laid them off.
• A non-compete clause: A non-compete clause prohibits individuals from seeking employment from direct competitors of their former employer for a predetermined period of time. This can limit your job search and make it more difficult to

The importance of working with an employment attorney:

It is always a good idea to show an attorney any major legal document you intend to sign, and the same is true for a severance agreement. An attorney can tell you whether the agreement is fair, whether it includes any harmful clauses, and so on.

If you have recently lost your job, our firm is here to help with your severance agreement. Additionally, we will fight for you if you were fired as a result of wrongful termination.

CONTACT OUR EXPERIENCED GEORGIA FIRM

To discuss your employment law case with a legal team you can trust, please do not hesitate to contact Ben Barrett Law today.