Settlement Agreements for Employees during Coronavirus

With the rapidly changing situation regarding Coronavirus(COVID-19), we would like to reassure you that we are still fully operational and able to provide Employment Law advice remotely to assist with and mitigate the effects that COVID-19 may have on you as an employee.

During the Coronavirus pandemic unfortunately there may be an increase of the risk of redundancies and Settlement Agreement offers.

If you have been given a Settlement Agreement (formerly known as Compromise Agreements) by your employer, they can be quite daunting but do not worry, before agreeing to the agreement you must obtain independent legal advice about the terms and effect of the agreement. You will need an independent solicitor to explain the terms of it to you – we can help you with this. Your employer will pay our costs.

We can arrange to explain the agreement to you over the phone, and are set up to help you sign and return the agreement electronically. We can usually arrange an appointment to have the agreement explained very quickly.

We are very used to the settlement agreement process and hope to make it as quick and easy as possible for you.

Settlement Agreements can prevent an employee from bringing claims against their employer. As an employee you must be given independent legal advice about the terms of the Settlement Agreement, and have the settlement agreement explained to you. Your employer will pay the costs for this.

Once you have been given a copy of the agreement we are available to guide you through the potential claims that you may be settling, explain the agreement to you and advise you in relation to any changes to the wording so that you are protected.

The employer must pay a contribution for this legal advice meaning that there is no charge to the employee.

Settlement Agreements often contain confidentiality clauses so it is important that if you have been handed an agreement that you do not discuss its existence or content with anybody, colleagues in particular, before seeking legal advice.

Our Partner and Head of Employment, Kate Brooks, is available anytime to provide advice on how to move forward with your settlement agreement through this time and is offering a free initial conversation. If you would like to discuss your options with Kate please call our Employment Hotline on 01202 057754 or simply request a call back via email kate.brooks@ellisjones.co.uk.

You may also find our Settlement Agreement Q&A blog useful to read here.