What Is One Tip You’d Offer An Employee Who Wants To Ask For Severance Pay When Resigning?
To help you know how to ask for severance pay when resigning, we asked CEOs and business leaders this question for their best advice. From working severance pay into your contract when being hired to verifying the evidence first, there are several tips that you may follow to help you claim your severance pay when resigning.
Here Are Five Things To Know When Asking For Severance Pay:
- Work Severance Pay Into Your Contract When Being Hired
- Research To Know Your Status Before You Resign
- Be Brave and Ask
- Know The Company Policy Before Approaching HR
- Verify The Evidence First
Work Severance Pay Into Your Contract When Being Hired
The best time to work severance pay into your contract is when you’re first being hired. As your income increases, you can continue to negotiate the rate of your severance pay, but generally, the concept of severance pay is most easily incorporated into an employee’s contract when they first start off.
It can be a red flag to employers if an employee, who’s been working for them for a while, suddenly has a strong desire for severance pay, so it’s best to request it right off the bat during the initial hire.
Alex Wang, Ember Fund
Research To Know Your Status Before You Resign
Do your research first. Resigning your job typically doesn’t justify you receiving severance pay, unless it’s promised directly in written language.
Keep in mind that different states have different laws regarding severance pay, so if you’ve moved recently, the situation at your previous workplace may not be the same as your current one.
Rob Bartlett, WTFast
Be Brave and Ask
Asking for something you want only takes ten seconds of bravery. Once you’re in the room or conversation, take a deep breath and start getting the words out. Ten seconds of bravery is all it will take to ask and then two things can happen. They approve and give you what you want, or say “no” and you’re no worse than you were moments before.
Logan Mallory, Motivosity
Know The Company Policy Before Approaching HR
Any employee who wants severance pay when resigning must know what the company policy is before they approach HR or management. While many companies have a severance pay policy that applies to all employees, others don’t and it may be easier to negotiate with a company that does not have a set policy in place.
If you want to ask for severance pay over and above what the company offers you then you need to have a good motivation for it.
Make sure you have followed the correct procedure for resigning and be well prepared for your exit interview.
If you have contributed significantly to the company during your time there, take a record of it to the interview and use it as leverage for severance pay.
Loran Marmes, Medicare Solutions Team
Verify The Evidence First
The best advice to give an employee asking for severance pay is to tell them to gather all the evidence and verify them before claiming severance pay. Severance pay is a benefit that eligible employees can avail themselves of.
But, they need to present solid evidence for this. For instance, they have to present pay stubs, taxes, employee awards, and many more that talk about the employment excellence and amount that you’re claiming. If an employee doesn’t have enough evidence then the claim won’t be processed and the employee will face disappointment.
Caroline Lee, CocoSign
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