After being fired or let go, many individuals in Kingston are eager to get on with the job hunt—accepting their employer’s severance offer without seeking legal advice beforehand.
The reality is that a Kingston employment lawyer can make the difference following a dismissal, especially when it comes to confirming proper compensation is being provided by your company.
READ MORE: 6 common employer mistakes that could lead to a bigger payout after termination
Prior to scheduling a consultation with a legal professional, here are three major mistakes that non-unionized employees should avoid at all costs.
1. Don’t lash out at your boss
While it can be extremely tempting to “fly off the handle” during your termination meeting, maintaining your composure is crucial.
Severance in Ontario can be as much as 24 months’ pay. Getting angry or doing something to hurt the company could affect the amount of compensation you’re legally entitled to.
If you’ve been let go without severance pay in Kingston, remain calm and contact an employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. We can determine if this type of dismissal was appropriate in your situation and help you secure proper compensation if it wasn’t.
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2. Don’t sign your severance offer immediately
Contrary to popular belief, Ontarians aren’t legally obligated to accept their employer’s severance offer on the spot or a few days after it was provided to them.
If you’ve received a severance offer from your boss, hold off on signing anything until you speak with my firm.
READ MORE: 5 things employees should never do before talking to an employment lawyer
As long as you haven’t accepted the offer and returned it to your employer, you have two years from the date of your dismissal to pursue full severance pay.
3. Don’t negotiate a new severance package on your own
When your livelihood is on the line, you can’t leave anything up to chance. The experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has a proven track record of successfully resolving severance disputes.
One of my Kingston clients, a mechanic, decided to “roll the dice” after being let go. Frustrated by his severance package, the individual sent his employer an email—outlining why he believed he was entitled to another month of pay.
To the mechanic’s surprise, his request was approved less than 15 minutes later. However, instead of joy, he suddenly felt that he was in over his head and decided to bring the new severance offer to Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.
I’ll never forget the look of relief on the mechanic’s face when I told him that the negotiated amount still fell extremely short of his entitlements. The night before his consultation, he’d seriously considered cancelling our meeting and accepting the new severance offer.
Following a brief phone call with his employer, I was able to secure every cent of compensation that my client was owed without getting the courts involved.
READ MORE: Spotlight on Lior Samfiru after $157,000 court award exposes ‘legal time bomb’
Lost your job in Kingston? Being pressured to sign your severance offer immediately?
Contact Samfiru Tumarkin LLP or call 1-855-821-5900 for a consultation with an employment lawyer. Get the advice you need and the compensation you deserve.
Lior Samfiru is an employment lawyer and co-founding partner at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, Canada’s most positively reviewed law firm specializing in employment law and long-term disability claims. He provides legal insight on Canada’s only Employment Law Show on TV and radio.