Ensuring fair compensation when you leave your job is essential to ensuring that you receive all the benefits and the amount you deserve for your time with that employer. Taking certain steps and being well-informed about your rights can help you know that your final payment is fair or help you negotiate if it isn’t.
Check Your Contract Terms
The first step to knowing if you are receiving fair compensation is to review your employment contract, which should have included terms about severance pay, notice periods, or specific benefits tied to your departure from the company.
Tally Up Your Unused Benefits
Under California state law, employees are entitled to compensation for unused vacation time or paid time off (PTO). Our state requires that accrued vacation time be considered earned wages and paid to employees who leave a company, even when company policy doesn’t explicitly mention it.
Negotiate with your employer
If you are asked to leave your job due to a company restructuring or are laid off, try to talk to your employer or human resources to find out if the company offers a severance package in these cases.
These packages included in your final payment can help you financially while you find a new job. In some cases, your employer might agree to extend severance benefits at the end of your employment, such as health care benefits or paying you a few extra weeks, as a gesture of goodwill or in exchange for no claims being made against you.
Review your paycheck and make sure it has the correct amount
Your final paycheck should include all wages you have earned from your job up to the date of your departure, including overtime or commissions from the last period. Review your pay stub carefully, and if you notice discrepancies, contact human resources immediately to avoid possible wage violations.
If, after having carried out this procedure, your employer still does not want to pay you what you are owed, we recommend that you contact a labor law attorney who will guide you through the legal process you should follow to recover what you deserve and who will fight to obtain justice on your behalf. At Lara & Luna APC, we are here to help you.