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Severance
Policies
Getting Richer
 t's
comforting to know, in this age of reorganization and downsizing,
that over three-quarters of all organizations provide severance
to staff who lose their jobs. Generally, these policies apply
to all full-time staff members. The formula is usually based on
years of service - in Saskatchewan the law provides for one to
eight weeks of severance, depending on the length of employment.
In
most places you will see one week's salary for each year of service
for hourly or salaried employees. Officers, senior executives
and executives will generally receive two weeks salary per year
of service.
Today,
corporate reorganization is becoming more common and people are
seeing improved benefits because of this. For instance, the maximum
severance has increased to 36 weeks for officers; all other levels
receive a maximum of 26 weeks.
While
at one time officers and salaried and hourly paid employees would
be penalized if they found a job before their severance time was
completed, this is rarely seen today.
Outplacement
Benefits
Officers
and executives are still receiving six to 12 month programs. In
Saskatchewan, salaried employees on average see a four-month personal
program while hourly employees receive up to three-month personal
programs. This latter is unlike the norm in most other places,
where most hourly employees receive group programs.
If
you are re-organizing and need assistance developing a severance
plan or analyzing your current policy, we will be pleased to assist
you. You can reach us at 586-2315 or 1-800-303-2315
in North America, or send
us an email.
(Much
of the information in this article comes from a survey conducted
by Find/SVP.)
 Are
You Prepared for an Emergency?
Ninety-three
hundred square miles and 50 million people without power...the
largest power outage North America has experienced in decades!
Sherry
Knight had just arrived at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto
when the power went out. Rob Housez, Hotel Manager, and his team
swung into immediate action:
- Announcements
were piped into each room communicating the situation.
- Each
bank of elevators had one elevator working (Sherry was on
the 23rd floor - a long walk down!)
- Free
bottled water and pop were available in the lobby.
- The
buffet restaurant stayed open, keeping a constant supply of
cold food available.
- Staff
were plentiful and highly visible in the lobby and on every
floor, ready to assist as needed.
- Glow
lights were distributed to help people in their rooms.
Can
your organization jump into action this quickly? If not, it's
time to look at your emergency response plans.
Bravo
to Rob and the entire staff of the Delta Chelsea!
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