Vey Willetts LLP is pleased to announce the launch of the first Severance Pay Calculator tailored specifically for the needs of employees and businesses in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario.
One of the most frequent questions we receive is "how much severance am I owed?" We often get this question when an employee has been wrongfully dismissed, and the individual is considering the fairness of a proposed severance package. The purpose of severance is to help bridge the gap from when an employee is fired until he/she can reasonably be expected to get back into the workforce. While there are a number of factors that will determine in each situation what is "fair severance", generally, it will depend on the worker's age, his/her occupation, whether he/she signed an employment contract, how long he/she was employed and whether there are similar jobs available to apply for.
In Ottawa, however, another factor can also play an important role: whether the employee is bilingual. Unlike many parts of Ontario, in Ottawa the inability to speak both English and French can severely limit an individual's employment prospects. As a result, this factor may require that the individual receive a greater severance entitlement. This is especially true in certain industries such as tourism and hospitality.
We developed the Vey Willetts Ottawa Severance Pay Calculator to take into consideration the unique job market in Ottawa and to provide a more complete assessment of fair severance entitlement for Ottawa employees and employers alike. As such, in addition to considering factors such as age, length of service and occupation, our severance pay calculator also takes into consideration whether an employee is bilingual.
If you are an Ottawa employee who has recently been dismissed, or a local business looking to lay off staff and pay them fairly, our severance calculator is designed to assist you.
Disclaimer: Our severance pay calculator provides only general information. It should not be used as a substitute for specific legal advice. Your particular circumstances will increase or decrease your severance entitlement. To speak with an experienced employment lawyer, contact us directly.
Vey Willetts LLP is an Ottawa-based employment and labour law boutique that provides timely and cost-effective legal advice to help employees and employers resolve workplace issues in the National Capital Region and across Ontario.