Do I deserve any severance if I was let go for no reason?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Do I deserve any severance if I was let go for no reason?
I was hired 5 months ago as a pharmacy technician. I was to mix chemotherapy drugs and also to help get an oral dispensing program started. The program was to start last month. They kept saying they didn’t know what company they were going with. About 3 weeks ago one of the doctors stopped to talk with me and told me to study the oral meds whenever I had downtime. A few days later, one of the nurses came to me and said that I couldn’t just stand around but I was actually studying at the time. She told me to go to the office and file. Then the next week I went to talk to the nursing supervisor to say that I was getting mixed signals and ask her what I should be doing. She said she would talk to the nurses and see if there was some things they could give me to do in my downtime. About 10 days ago I was brought into the office and told they were eliminating my position; 2 days later I called back to see if my benefits would continue for a while and was told no that they ended on the day they let me go. I was also told a different reason for them letting me go. I was not given any termination letter or any information on benefits. I did receive COBRA info about a week later. I’m just wondering if this is all legal or if there is anything I should pursue? I would like to have some kind of benefits until I can find another job and receive benefits.
Asked on February 11, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Illinois
Answers:
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
First of all, most employment is "at will" which means that an employee can be terminated for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. Additionally, severance is not legally mandated so a company need not pay it. Accordingly, unless you have a union agreement or employment contract that provides otherwise, you are not entitled to severance or anything else for that matter. Bottom line, absent actionable discrimination, a company can set the conditions of employment much as it sees fit.
M.D., Member, California and New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
First of all, most employment is "at will" which means that an employee can be terminated for any reason or no reason at all, with or without notice. Additionally, severance is not legally mandated so a company need not pay it. Accordingly, unless you have a union agreement or employment contract that provides otherwise, you are not entitled to severance or anything else for that matter. Bottom line, absent actionable discrimination, a company can set the conditions of employment much as it sees fit.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.