[aikinai]

Severance is extremely common outside Silicon Valley and even outside of tech. Even people in (skilled) factory jobs usually get severance when laid off. It's mainly a hedge against getting sued rather than goodness of heart, but it's still common.

[jpatokal]

More than that, severance is the law in the vast majority of the world. Being fired without notice and without severance, losing your health insurance and having to fight for unemployment in court is a trifecta of unthinkable for the average European.

[Xylakant]

Severance is not in the law in germany. Notice periods are, but there are some substantial differences. You can’t take on a job after having received or handed in your notice - you’re in principle still expected to work. If you just decide to not show up, that’d grounds for immediate termination.

Both sides can agree by contract to terminate the employment immediately (Aufhebungsvertrag) and those contracts often stipulate a severance, but for example they also often stipulate that any wages from jobs you take on in that period get deducted from the severance payment.

[jpatokal]

Severance applies when the company lays you off. If you're fired for cause (say, not showing up), you're rarely entitled to anything.

[Xylakant]

In germany, severance is uncommon, even if the company lays you off. You get your three month notice, and after that, no further payment is made. Things may differ if the situation is slightly complicated, for example the company would prefer you gone earlier, they may offer you a payment lower than the wage for the notice period and you’re gone earlier or if they might not be allowed to terminate your employment for legal reasons to avoid lengthy lawsuits. Sometimes severance payments are negotiated in mass layoffs in unionized companies.

My point was: severance differs substantially from a notice period. If you’re laid off with severance, you can go and get a different job the next day. If you’re laid off with a notice period you cannot. You must show up and work the next day. If you don’t, you’ll be terminated without notice. A common thing that people do is that they call in sick after either being served or handing in their notice - same thing happens. Immediate termination.

[user5994461]

Please stop spreading misinformation. There are few circumstances where an employees can be immediately terminated and calling in sick is not one of them.

[Xylakant]

Calling in sick when you’re not is grounds for immediate termination. Doubly so if you made the grave error of announcing that - the announcement alone could be sufficient (Bundesarbeitsgericht, Urteil vom 12.03.2009, 2 AZR 251/07). That’s really field day for a lawyer.

Citation: http://m.hensche.de/Arbeitsrecht_aktuell_Kuendigung_vorgetae...

Calling in sick after handing in your notice is also a standard reason to send you to the Amtsarzt who will check your doctors diagnosis.

Calling in sick when you are, is not usually grounds for a termination, but that’s not what’s being discussed here.

[lovich]

Yea, I should have specified this was the US only. I will say though, this is not the "vast majority of the world". South America, Africa, and Asia certainly don't have the same protections as Europe and they hold the vast majority of the population

[lovich]

I would like to see evidence if that. I've seen companies offer a single paycheck,two weeks that is, of pay and act like they were ghandi for it. They also usually ask for you to sign all the NDAs and other agreements they forgot to get you to sign, in exchange for that severance