Questions to Ask When Being Laid Off
Questions to ask during and shortly after a layoff conversation, covering your last day, severance and the release you may be asked to sign, health coverage, retirement and equity, unemployment, references, and company property.
The questions
Open any question for the note
What is my last day of employment, and do I stay on payroll after that?
Why ask it
Notice pay and paid non-working periods move the date benefits end and the date unemployment can begin. Ask for both dates in writing before you leave the meeting, because they are quoted inconsistently later.
Am I being offered severance, and what exactly does it include?
Why ask it
Ask for the parts separately: weeks of pay, any bonus, unused vacation, benefit continuation, equipment. A single total tends to blur which parts are owed to you anyway and which depend on signing something.
How was that figure calculated, and is there discretion in it?
Why ask it
If it comes from a formula applied to everyone in the reduction, there is little room to move. If it is discretionary, or the release is unusually broad, that is where adjustments normally happen.
How will accrued vacation, sick time, and any earned bonus be handled?
Why ask it
Payout of unused time is governed by state law and existing policy rather than by the severance offer, so some of this may be owed regardless of whether you sign. Ask which line items fall in that category.
When does my health coverage end, and what will continuing it cost?
Why ask it
Coverage often runs to the end of the month rather than to your last working day, and continuation coverage is the full unsubsidized premium. Ask whether the company will cover any months of it, which is a common and inexpensive concession.
Am I being asked to sign a release, and what would I be giving up?
Why ask it
A release usually waives claims connected to your employment. Read for non-disparagement, cooperation, and future-employment clauses, which reach further than most people expect and outlast the payment.
How long do I have to consider the agreement?
Why ask it
Review and revocation periods for older workers are set by statute in the United States. Pressure to sign in the room is a reason to slow down, and asking for the deadline in writing is normal and expected.
Will the company contest an unemployment claim?
Why ask it
A reduction for economic reasons usually qualifies. Ask how the separation will be coded, because a contested claim adds weeks of delay at the exact point income has stopped.
What happens to my vested and unvested equity, and what are the exercise deadlines?
Why ask it
Post-termination exercise windows are often short, and tax can be due long before shares can be sold. Get the deadline date, the strike price, and the vested count in writing today rather than from memory later.
What are my options for the 401(k), and is there an outstanding loan?
Why ask it
You can generally leave it, roll it to an IRA, or move it to a new plan. A plan loan often becomes due soon after separation and is treated as a distribution if unpaid, which is the detail people miss.
When will the final paycheck and any severance actually arrive?
Why ask it
Severance is frequently paid only after a release becomes effective, which can be weeks out. Knowing the dates lets you plan around the gap instead of discovering it.
Can severance be paid as a lump sum or spread out, and does that affect unemployment?
Why ask it
Continued salary payments delay unemployment eligibility in some states while a lump sum may not. The choice also decides which tax year the income lands in.
Is there outplacement, recruiting support, or continued access to training?
Why ask it
These are usually already budgeted in a larger reduction, so they cost little to grant. Ask what exists rather than whether something could be created for you.
What will the company confirm if a future employer or background check asks?
Why ask it
Many employers verify only title and dates. Knowing the exact wording avoids a mismatch between what you write on applications and what gets confirmed.
Would you be willing to serve as a reference, and can we agree on what you would say?
Why ask it
Ask while the relationship is intact and the details are fresh. Hesitation is worth knowing about now rather than after you have listed the name three times.
Which non-compete, non-solicit, or confidentiality obligations continue after I leave?
Why ask it
Ask for a copy of the signed agreement rather than a summary of it. Enforceability varies by state, and non-solicit terms often constrain a job search more than a non-compete does.
What company property do I return, and by when?
Why ask it
Get the list in writing, including anything at home. Ask about retrieving personal files and contacts, since account access is usually cut the same day and there is no second chance.
How and when will this be communicated to the team and to clients?
Why ask it
Timing decides whether you can say goodbye and hand off work cleanly. It also tells you what your network will hear before you get the chance to reach them yourself.
Am I eligible for rehire, and is there a waiting period?
Why ask it
Companies do rehire from reductions, sometimes within the year. A clear answer also indicates whether the separation is being recorded as neutral rather than for cause.
Who is my contact for questions after today, and how do I reach them?
Why ask it
The person delivering the news is often not the person handling the paperwork. Get a name, an email, and give them a personal address so documents can still reach you after access ends.
Working through a layoff
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
In the meeting
- Write down dates, amounts, and names as they are said, or ask to record what the numbers are.
- Ask for everything in writing, including anything offered verbally.
- Do not sign in the room. Asking for the review period is routine, not adversarial.
- If you are told a decision is final, accept that and spend the time on terms rather than on reversing it.
- Before access is cut, save personal documents, contacts you own, and a copy of your own work samples that are not confidential.
Before you sign anything
- Read the release for what it waives, and for non-disparagement, cooperation, and confidentiality terms that continue afterward.
- Compare the offer against any severance policy, offer letter, or plan document you already have.
- If you are over 40 in the United States, check that the statutory consideration and revocation periods are reflected in the document.
- An employment attorney will usually review a severance agreement in a single paid consultation, which is worth doing when the amount is significant or the terms are broad.
- If you believe the selection was connected to age, disability, pregnancy, medical leave, or a complaint you raised, get advice before signing rather than after.
The first two weeks
- 1File for unemployment as soon as your separation date allows, since benefits are generally not backdated.
- 2Decide on health coverage before the deadline, comparing continuation coverage against a marketplace plan and a spouse's plan.
- 3Note any equity exercise deadline on a calendar with a reminder well ahead of it.
- 4Work out your monthly floor: what has to be paid, what can pause, and how many months the severance covers.
- 5Tell a small number of people directly before making anything public, and ask each of them for one introduction.
- 6Set a working routine with fixed hours. A job search fills whatever shape you give it, and an unstructured week is harder than a busy one.