Wrongful Dismissal Lawyers Calgary

We always encourage employees to speak with an employment lawyer before signing a release. In our experience employers almost always grant extensions on the deadlines for signing releases.

While there are certain rights that employees have that independent contractors do not have, many times employers will improperly classify their employees and independent contractors to avoid respecting these rights, meaning you may actually be entitled to these privileges.

If your employment is terminated without cause and without advance notice, then you are entitled to pay in lieu of notice (commonly referred to as severance pay). If your employer had just cause to terminate your employment, then you are not entitled to severance.

A tightly-worded employment agreement can limit your entitlement to severance to the mandatory minimums available under Alberta’s Employment Standards Code. However, very specific wording is required. We recommend reviewing your agreement with an employment lawyer to get a better sense of how it might impact severance.

Calculation of severance pay depends on a variety of factors and may be limited by your employment agreement. It’s best to work with an employment lawyer to determine what fair severance might be based on the specifics of your circumstances.

Severance packages are designed to provide financial and other benefits to employees who are being terminated or laid off. By reviewing your severance package, you can gain a clear understanding of what you are entitled to receive. This includes information about the amount of severance pay, continuation of benefits, outplacement assistance, stock options, and other compensation or benefits.

It is crucial to review your severance package before you sign it. Sometimes employers will place deadlines on when your severance package needs to be signed, but these deadlines can be extended upon request.