What a severance agreement is really asking you to give up

A severance agreement is a sale. Your employer is buying something from you, and the price is on the first page. It is worth knowing what is being bought.

The release

Nearly every agreement asks you to give up the right to bring claims about your employment. Often that is fine. Sometimes the claim you are giving up is worth several times the payment.

The clauses after it

Look for three more: a promise not to work for a competitor, a promise not to say anything critical, and a promise to keep the agreement itself secret. Each can be narrowed, and employers expect to be asked.

The deadline

You will be given a number of days to sign. It is rarely as firm as it sounds, and you are usually entitled to take advice first. Use the time.

I read these for a fixed fee and tell you, in a page, what you are selling and whether the price is fair.