I always assumed layoffs came with a guaranteed cushion, which made them less scary for me. Yes, you lose your job but you get a decent safety net to get you through the unemployment stage. Then I found out severance is 100% discretionary and now I'm spending all my free time job-hunting while I still have a paycheck.
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@OP they have a policy in place for sure. The policy is they will attempt to pay you little to no severance regardless of how long you’ve been there. Whatever they have in writing as a corporate policy they completely ignore in most cases. That is surprisingly not illegal according to my representation but there are other ways can challenge them. I know this first hand. I was there a long time and they attempted to pay me minimal. If you legally challenge them they will cave fast and you will get more. I ended up getting a year. Age discrimination? Retaliation? Need to get creative. They won’t fight you. They have no effective internal counsel left.
@OP its not 100% discretionary if there is a policy in place, which there is.
There are specific job separation reasons where the severance must be given/doesnt have to be given. I suggest you read it.
That being said, this firm finds a multitude of ways to twist those job separations in their favor. The house usually wins.
Jon hunting is no picnic either - another rude awakening that makes me really regret not getting into a civil service job years ago when I could still afford to