Ontario Severance Pay
When an employee is fired or laid off without cause then they will be entitled to severance pay based on the length of time that they have worked for the company. While there is no rule set in stone you will usually get one week of severance pay for each year that you have worked for the company but depending on the circumstances you may be entitled to more funds than is typical which is why speaking with an employment lawyer before accepting any severance package is so important.
Employment laws state that severance pay must be paid out within two weeks of the employee being laid off or fired without cause. If you have not received your severance pay from your company within this time frame you should speak to an employment lawyer about the different options that are available to you.
If you think that you are entitled to severance pay or some type of package but your company is not offering you one there are several different steps you can take. You can file a grievance with employment standards office and if they side with you they can force your company to give you the severance pay that you deserve. One thing you should keep in mind about severance pay is that once you have accepted payment or have even filed a claim with the ESO you will no longer be able to file a wrongful dismissal suit against your company. If you have found yourself in this situation you should speak with an employment lawyer as soon as possible. You can find a local lawyer in our free legal database located here.
