签署离职合同前你应该知道的五件事.doc

5 Things You Should Know Before Signing That Severance Agreement
发布时间：2012-09-19
文章出自：
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Question:
"I feel that I am being discriminated against at my job. I have worked there for 20 years with no problems at all. In the last month I have been written up once for something that has always been done with no problems. Today I was confronted with a severance package. I am totally confused by all of this.
I have been repeatedly asked what my plans for the future were, when was I going to retire, etc. Now I am given this package and told that I should sign it and return it tomorrow. When I asked what I thought were very important questions because of the confusion in the writing of these papers, we still got conflicting answers. The bottom line is that if I do not sign and return them by tomorrow the threat of being fired with nothing at all has already been given to me. Please, please, help me make the right decision."
This is a great question! I encounter many people who are presented with severance agreements and are pressured to sign right away. Unfortunately for the reader who wrote this question, he needed legal advice right away. This isn't the right forum for that. As always, if you need legal advice for your specific situation, contact an employment lawyer in your state.
Still, I thought the question was worth exploring because it happens so often. The short answer is, never agree to quit your job unless you're offered something substantial, like enough severance in a fair agreement that makes it worth your while to do so. The fact that the employer was pressing for a quick signature tells me that something was probably fishy about this agreement. Never, ever sign anything you don't fully understand.
Here are some important things to consider when you are presented with a severance agreement:
1. Take your time: Because this reader is clearly over 40, he should have been given at least 21 days to review the agreement and take it to a lawyer before he signed. If he wasn't given that time, then any release of age discrimination claims might not be valid. Of course, the agreement probably says he had that much time, and he's acknowledging it if he signed.
If you're being pressured to sign before you have a chance to properly review it, I suggest putting your request for more time in writing, by email, fax or some way you have proof you sent it. Put in writing that they have given you a deadline of x-date, that you want to take the agreement to a lawyer, and that you need another week or a few weeks to review it. If they deny the extra time, you now have it in writing.
2. Limits on your ability to work: Even if you didn't sign a noncompete agreement while you were employed, some employers may try to sneak one into a severance agreement. If you're signing an agreement that you can't work for a competitor for a year or two after you leave, you'd better make sure you're getting enough money to tide you over.
Some agreements ask you to affirm you will abide by an existing noncompete agreement. If you sign, you may be giving up some defenses you had to the enforceability of the prior agreement. Be careful, and make sure you can live with any noncompete restrictions before you sign.
3. Confidentiality: If you are agreeing to keep company information confidential, beware. Some management-side lawyers use provisions like this to say that, if you work for a competitor, you would inevitably have to disclose confidences. In effect, you've signed a noncompete and didn't even know it. I like to insert some language into these provisions saying they aren't intended to be a noncompete agreement.
4. Release: If you're giving up all the potential claims you have against your employer, you should make sure you understand what you're really giving up. The reader who asked this question mentioned some comments made that indicate he might have an age discrimination claim. If you take your agreement to an employment lawyer, you should discuss any potential claims you have to see if they might give you leverage to negotiate a better agreement.
If you were treated differently than others of a different race, age, religion, etc., you might have a discrimination claim. If you were fired right after objecting to an illegal practice, taking Family and Medical Leave or making a worker's compensation claim, you might have a retaliation claim against your employer. These are just some examples of claims you'll be giving up if you sign without understanding your rights.
5. Mutuality: If you're releasing your employer from potential claims, can they turn around and sue you for something? If you're agreeing not to say negative things about them, are they still able to slam you in references? If the agreement itself is confidential for you, can the employer tell coworkers and potential employers about it? These are some of the provisions I like to insist the employer make mutual. After all, if you have obligations to them after you leave, shouldn't they have similar obligations to you?
My number one rule for signing any agreement is this: make sure you understand it before you sign. When in doubt, have an employment lawyer in your state review and explain it to you and discuss your options. Sure, it will cost some money, but isn't it worth paying to be sure you aren't making a huge mistake in signing?
That's all for this edition of "Ask A Lawyer." If you need legal advice, it's best to talk to an employment lawyer in your state, but if you have general legal issues you want me to discuss here, whether about discrimination, employment contracts, medical leave, or other employment law issues, you can ask me at Jobs.
Note to readers: I've edited this question to delete information that might identify the questioner, since the questions and my answers aren't confidential, and for brevity. I'm giving a general answer under federal law, not specific legal advice. Your state may have laws with more stringent requirements for employers, so always check with an employment lawyer in your state about your specific situation.
签署离职合同前你应该知道的五件事
发布时间：2012-09-19
文章出自：译言
原文链接：点击查看
    问题:
    “我觉得在工作上我受到了歧视。我在那里工作了20年，一点问题都没有发生。上个月，我竟然被记上了一笔，还是一直以来都没有问题的一件事。今天面对着这遣散包，我被这一切完全搞糊涂了。
    我被一再地问起我退休后未来计划之类的事情。现在他们就给了我这个包，还告诉我应该签字后明天寄回。那些文件非常混乱，我问他们的问题都是我认为非常重要的问题，可还是得到了模棱两可的答案。他们已经告诉了我底线，如果我不签好字并在明天前寄回给他们，那么我将会受到被开除并且一无所获的威胁。求求你们，求求你们帮我做个正确的决定吧！”
    这是一个非常好的问题！我遇到了很多人，他们都遇到了离职合同的问题，而且还被迫要马上签字。不幸的是，对于写这个问题的读者来说，他马上需要法律咨询。而我们这个并不是针对此事的专门论坛。如往常一样，如果您需要为您的特定情形寻找法律咨询，请联系您所在国家的职业律师。
    不过呢，由于此事发生的相当频繁，我认为这个问题还是值得我们去探索。对于这个问题的回答，简单的来说就是，永远不要同意辞去你的工作，除非你得到了一些实质上的东西，譬如说在公平的协议上有足够的遣散费，使得它值得你去这么做。事实上，雇主施压要求你迅速签字正是告诉我这个协议可能存在可疑之处。千万，千万不要签署任何你不完全理解的文件。
    当你看到一个离职合同时，以下是一些你需要考虑的重要的事情：
    1．别着急，慢慢来：因为这个读者显然是40多岁了，所以在他签字之前，他本应该至少有21天把该合同带到律师处来审查该合同。如果他没有给予这么多时间，那么任何解除年龄歧视索赔可能就不再有效。当然，该合同可能说给了他那么多时间，如果他签字了，就表示他也承认了这点。
    如果在你还没有机会适当地回顾文件前就被迫要签字，我建议写个申请要求更多的时间，你可以通过书写形式或写邮件或发传真或其他方式，只要可以证明你发过这个申请。里面要写明他们给你的截止日期，而你想要把合同带到律师处，你需要另外一周或几周的时间来审查这份合同。如果他们拒绝给你更多的时间，那你现在也有了书面的证明。
    2．你的工作能力的限制: 当你被雇用时即使没有签署竞业禁止协议，一些雇主也可能试图偷偷地在离职协议中加入一条。如果你签署了在你离开后的一年或两年内不能为竞争对手工作的这项协议，你最好确定你可以拿到足够的钱来度过这段艰难的时间。
    一些协议要求你必须遵守现有的非竞争性协议。如果你签署了这个协议，意味着你可能会放弃一些事先协定的强制性的辩护。小心一点，在你签字之前确保你可以接受任何竞业禁止限制。
    3. 保密性：如果你同意为公司信息保密，那么你要小心了。一些管理方的律师喜欢拿条款来说事，如果你为一个竞争对手工作，你会不可避免地披露机密信息。事实上，你已经签署了竞业禁止协议，甚至你可能还不知道它。我喜欢在这些条款中插入一些语言，这些条款也就并非为竞业禁止协议。
    4．放弃：如果你正要放弃公司所有的潜在索赔，那么你应该确认你确实明白了你要放弃的东西。问这个问题的读者所提到的一些言论表明他可能涉及到一个年龄歧视索赔。如果你把你的合同带给一名职业律师，你应该跟他讨论所有潜在的索赔，以看他们是否能给你一个优势去协商更有利的合同。
    如果你因为种族不同，年龄不同，宗教不同而受到与他人不同的对待，那么你可以要求歧视索赔。如果你因为反对一项非法条例，休探亲假或病假，或是索要工伤赔偿金就要被开除，那么你可以向雇主提出报复索赔。如果你没有理解你的权利就签署了合同，这些就是几个你可能会放弃的索赔示例。
    5．相互性：如果你放弃了对你的雇主的潜在索赔，那么他们会反过来起诉你吗？如果你同意不去说那些负面的言语，那么他们还会抨击你吗？如果该合同本身是保密的，用人单位会告诉你的同事和潜在的雇主吗？这些就是我想强调的一些与雇主之间应有相互性的规定。毕竟，如果你离开之后，你对他们有这些义务，他们难道不应该对你有类似的义务吗？
    我签署协议时的第一个规则是：确保在你理解协议之后再签字。如有疑问时，找一个你所在国家的职业律师，让他帮你审查，解释给你听，和他再谈论一下你的选择。当然，这将花费一笔钱，但能确保你在签字的时候没有犯下大错，难道不值得吗？
    这期的“咨询一位律师”就到此结束了。如果你需要法律咨询，最好找一位你所在国家的职业律师，但是如果你有一般性的法律问题，希望我在这里进行讨论，不管是关于歧视，还是劳动合同，病假或其他就业法律问题，你都可以在AOL就业网上问我。
    读者请注意：因为问题和我的答案不是保密的，为了简便起见，我已编辑了这个问题，删除可能会认出提问者的信息。我根据联邦法律所给出个一般性的回答，并不是具体的法律建议。你的国家可能有法律对雇主有更为严厉的要求，因此与你所在国家的职业律师探讨一下你的具体情况吧。