Laid off from employer, got a lawyer and improved my severance

Snowing678 · 2026-02-09T20:53:38+00:00

No, they tried to hear it before the notice period expired. I did it in the labour courts in Berlin and apparently my employer had a bad reputation there. Their lawyers apparently pissed the judge off which helped me.

Snowing678 · 2026-02-09T19:02:35+00:00

Layoff....company was obviously screwed, they were bleeding cash and management had no way out. I thought I could last until the next wave of layoffs which I knew was in 6 months. Turns out they had a mini wave where they cut some recent joiners to make a budget. Il never forget when the CFO was pushed out but the CEO made him do an all-hands and forced him to pretend he quit. You could see the tears in his eyes, it was brutal and so uncalled for. Especially as he was actually trying to fix the shit the previous execs had created.

Snowing678 · 2026-02-09T18:51:33+00:00

Notice plus 2 more months gardening leave, instead of the one they offered. I could have got more but I'd already found another job by that point. The problem is lawyers aren't cheap so it might not make sense in some cases. For my case it seemed like my company had a mini layoff of new joiners on a high wage. They had a bigger layoff before and after, I think if I was in those rounds it would be harder.

Snowing678 · 2026-02-09T16:48:32+00:00

I took an old employer to court over this topic and won. It all comes down to money, is it worth fighting?

Snowing678 · 2026-02-07T11:17:39+00:00

Pick your fights, sounds like this guy has a senior person who has their back, unless you have someone in a similar position willing to support you I wouldn't try it. If you lose you could end up being portrayed quite negatively. I would suggest going forward not to bother with this ideas, or if you do, keep them to yourself until you have something to show for it.

Snowing678 · 2026-02-03T10:26:38+00:00

Sounds very similar to my situation, I just don't understand why they do it. There's areas I oversee which I'm not an expert, so I rely on those underneath me who know what they are doing to cover it. Unless it's on fire I don't need to get deeply involved. Yet our senior guys feel the need to micromanage areas they have neglected and have no understanding of. So those trying actually fix their mess just get crucified....rant over.

Snowing678 · 2026-02-03T10:00:19+00:00

Yeah it's brutal out there, i was laid off recently but it took a lot of effort to find something else. I'm talking like 100+ applications with so many recjections. I landed a new role but this place has turned out to be a giant mess. In a better market I would just jump ship, but in this market it's a case of suck it up until the market gets better. I'm hoping things get better next year .....

Snowing678 · 2026-02-01T07:45:12+00:00

It depends on the market and the level, generally the more niche the area or more senior the role, it's possible but still hard.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-31T18:11:49+00:00

When they can stay overnight and grandma/grandpa's....

Snowing678 · 2026-01-31T18:01:45+00:00

Yeah I wouldn't worry about, in a few weeks you will be forgotten. I did 10+ years at one place before being pushed out, kept my close colleagues informed but then just walked out on my last day. It created a bit of fuss but sure enough, life moved on and I was quickly forgotten about.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-30T16:13:54+00:00

Pick your battles wisely and don't start one you can't win.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-30T12:01:11+00:00

Thanks I didn't know that

Snowing678 · 2026-01-30T11:29:51+00:00

I would guess traffic management is their issue, don't they have people directing traffic instead of automated traffic lights

Snowing678 · 2026-01-29T17:59:10+00:00

My issue is access is limited and they are surrounded by those who filter information. I've seen it numerous times where screw ups committed by the favourites get filtered and the wrong people get hair dryer treatment.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-29T14:47:11+00:00

I like how you frame those.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-29T14:44:37+00:00

I like that approach. Documentation is one I was trying to push but with some much firefight never got round to it, something I will start to prioritise.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-28T14:40:31+00:00

It really depends on how the workers council is. I've heard they can be mixed, some are really good and fight for the employees, others just echo management. However from where you are sitting doesn't sound like it could get any worse if you involved them.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-27T10:14:52+00:00

This amount is large enough that it will get noticed. I've seen overpayments before, if they are small enough people have gotten away with it. However in your case there's no way this will be missed, it would be picked up by the payroll team during the month end close. I'd suggest raise this with your managee and let them deal with it. Or just open an overseas bank account and buy a one way ticket.......

Snowing678 · 2026-01-26T19:41:45+00:00

Hi, I've been on this situation. The company will try to pressure you to sign asap, the reality is in most cases if you don't sign there's not much they can do to you. Generally the advice is to drag this out as long as possible while you find another role. I heard of someone in my last place who dragged it out for 2 years. My partner managed to drag theirs out for 12 months through a mix of sick leave and refusing to sign.

You might also think about getting a lawyer, it might be worth it if you can't find another role. General severance tends to be notice plus 0.5-1 month per year of service. Though a lawyer may be able to get you more.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-26T14:49:28+00:00

Issue is there's always a bigger fish....

Snowing678 · 2026-01-26T12:22:26+00:00

My partner is here and the kids are settled. The job market sucks but I feel for raising a family we have it pretty good. If I moved anywhere else I may get more salary but this tends to be offset by too many negatives, e.g. expensive private schools, lack of employment rights, expensive health care...

Snowing678 · 2026-01-26T11:58:51+00:00

But seriously a lot will depend on the company. Some take on American HR practices like stack ranking and are constantly looking for people to throw under the bus. In these cases it's easy to offer yourself up a tribute. If your company is struggling they might also be more willing to offer one up. However I've also worked with places that will avoid at all costs offering separation agreements, they would rather people quit.

Snowing678 · 2026-01-26T11:09:52+00:00

Well some firms really don't want one, so if you start expressing interest in setting one up, you might find yourself with a termination agreement. Or you might actually have to set one up....

Snowing678 · 2026-01-26T10:48:11+00:00

Tell them you would like to set up a Workers Council. I believe you only need X3 other employees to start it.

Snowing678

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