Ask HN: I'm a WeWork employee about to be laid off | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: I'm a WeWork employee about to be laid off

I've been at WeWork for about 2 years as a data scientist

Can I negotiate severance? What leverage do I have? What is a reasonable ask? Does anyone have examples of doing this successfully? Should I retain a lawyer?

Very lost right now, thanks in advance!

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I am very sorry to hear about the layoffs that you and thousands of your colleagues now face, especially considering the outrageous bonuses extended to the former CEO who is responsible for the dire situation WeWork finds itself in now.

This Vox article (https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/11/7/20953930/wework-adam-ne...) from two weeks ago included the following:

The severance offer Recode reviewed (which may not apply to all terminated employees) provides three months of “garden leave” — in which an employee remains on the payroll with benefits but stops working — as well as one month of severance pay.

This is not confirmed. Further, amounts may change depending on a number of factors, including the funds WeWork has available as well as the state you reside in.

Nondisclosure agreements are standard conditions of receiving benefits.

Good luck on the next stage of your career. I really do believe in the maxim, "As one door closes, another opens."

In a mass layoff, you have zero leverage therefore there's nothing to negotiate. You only have leverage if there's a a reason to keep you on the payroll or there's something you have that they want and, in a mass layoff, neither of those are probably true. If you have special extenuating circumstances (e.g. being on disability), you might try pleading for additional severance but it seems like a long shot.

Regarding hiring a lawyer, read the documents you receive and then decide whether you need to hire a lawyer. Assuming their HR and lawyers were competent and no special circumstances apply to you (e.g. you're an executive or you have iron-clad proof of being discriminated against when being selected for the layoff), most likely all hiring a lawyer will get you is an explanation of what the documents mean and a large bill.

What leverage DO you have? When I was a member at WeWork, their security practices were atrocious.

Knowledge like that == leverage.

The leverage you have is to expose some of their bad practices if they have.

I'm sorry about your situation, but I have to ask: why does an office rental company have data scientists on the payroll?

In general severance is governed by your contract and local labour laws. In this situation employees have no leverage to negotiate if the company has already decided to pay the minimum they have to, especially when your service is quite short.

You're probably best served by putting your energy into finding a new employer rather than fighting your soon-to-be former employer.

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