Has anyone negotiated severance before?

Question

Considering to accept an offer but i'm afraid to join a new company and getting laid off 3 months later. Has anyone of you negotiated severance before? how do you go about it? I have a little bit of time to decide so i would appreciate any advice you guys have for me.

Matt syp · Accepted Answer

You can negotiate anything.  What I might ask for is a 12 month layoff clause which protects you for a limited amount of time.  Things to think about are health coverage and months of pay.  For me, getting health coverage would be important, but that may not be to you so think about what you would need to make it through a layoff and then your recruiter.  But also realize, if you negotiate that, you may give up negotiating anything else.

01rnUGF1L · Answer

Netflix engineer did it:

https://entrepreneurshandbook.co/why-i-quit-a-450k-engineering-job-at-netflix-874454397885

Kasdenk14 · Answer

this can get very messy, but I guess when you think about layoffs, there really is no way for it to be nice and neat all the way around. Someone is going to lose out and most often it's you, the employee. Might as well get whatever you can so soften the landing.

mc3oPfzoo · Answer

Great question! Typically, you have a right to negotiate certain terms of your employment, things like benefits, compensation, and yes, severance. I would bet that most people don't even think to mention this as it may come off as a bad sign. Perhaps signaling that you are a flight risk even.

On the other hand, companies who are forthcoming with their negotiations understand that it's in the best interest of both parties to have discussions like this so in my experience, I'd welcome it!

Like any other negotiation, your leverage with negotiating severance depends on many factors that are unique to your employment relationship with the company, things like seniority, your relationships to leadership (as this is quite political), and even your ability to sue the company. Understanding your value as a contributor to the organization is very important so you should not undersell yourself. Be confident when entering any negotiation!

Has anyone negotiated severance before?

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