What to do after receiving a settlement agreement
Follow the right steps from receipt of the proposal through to signing.
Start with your goal, not the signature
A settlement agreement is a proposal. Your first decision is not which compensation to accept, but whether you want to keep your job or are willing to discuss leaving.
Do you want to stay? Then first examine the reason for dismissal, your defense, and possible alternatives. Do you want to leave? Then determine the necessary legal, financial, and practical conditions.
To do today
Do not sign anything, do not confirm agreement, and request the full proposal digitally.
Phase 1 - Determining direction
First determine what you want yourself, and avoid letting a hasty response lock you into a specific position.
Decide whether you want to stay or leave
Write down your preferred outcome. Do not let the amount in the initial proposal immediately sway you.
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Do you wish to retain your position?
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Is restoring the employment relationship realistic?
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Under what conditions would departure be acceptable?
Acknowledge receipt only
Acknowledge receipt of the proposal and state that you need time to review it. Do not yet respond to the substance of the proposal or make a counteroffer without having a full overview.
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Request an editable or digital copy
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Note the proposed deadline for a response
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Keep a record of emails and notes from conversations
Phase 2 - Responding safely
Identify the legal, financial, and practical risks before responding to the substance of the proposal.
Gather information and documents
Review the settlement agreement alongside the terms already applicable to your employment.
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Employment contract, addenda, and collective labor agreement (CLA)
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Payslips, bonus arrangements, and pension agreements
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Leave and expense claim overview
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Correspondence regarding the reason for dismissal or any conflict
Check for urgent risks
Start with issues that cannot be resolved simply by a higher severance payment.
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Initiative and reason for dismissal
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Illness or another prohibition on dismissal
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Unemployment benefits (WW), end date, and notice period
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Fixed-term contract or summary dismissal
Phase 3 - Negotiating
Work towards a coherent proposal and carefully track any changes.
Prepare a single, comprehensive response
Make a list of necessary corrections, key conditions, and additional requests. Then, respond with a single, coherent proposal.
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Correct legal basis
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Desired end date and compensation
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Final settlement and working arrangements
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Clauses, references, and legal costs
Negotiate and track versions
Review the entire document after every change. An improvement in one area must not mask a deterioration elsewhere.
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Work from a single current version
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Ensure changes are clearly marked
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Confirm agreements in writing
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Double-check amounts, dates, and attachments
Phase 4 – Finalizing and implementation
Check the final text and subsequently monitor the implementation of all agreements.
Perform the final check
Sign only when the agreement is complete, the facts are correct, and you understand the implications.
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All negotiated changes are included
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Unemployment benefits and the notice period have been verified
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The final settlement and payment dates are clear
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The cooling-off period is stated correctly
Monitor what happens after signing
Keep the signed documents and enter all deadlines and obligations into your calendar.
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Note the end of the cooling-off period
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Check payments and the final settlement
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Monitor the waiver, transfer, and return of items
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Prepare for a potential unemployment benefit application in good time
What information do you need now?
Check the content
Systematically review all facts, deadlines, financial arrangements, and clauses.
Improve the terms
Determine your negotiation strategy and respond with a single, cohesive package.
After signing
Learn how the cooling-off period works and when you can withdraw your agreement in writing.
Do you have a proposal in front of you?
Have the agreement reviewed before responding to the substance or signing it.
Frequently asked questions
Do not sign anything; simply acknowledge receipt and ask for time to assess the full proposal and your situation.
First, examine the reason for dismissal, your grounds for defense, and possible alternatives. Agreeing to a settlement agreement (VSO) terminates your employment.
Only after the legal basis, unemployment benefits, end date, financial implications, and your priorities have been clarified.
Double-check all facts, amounts, dates, terms and conditions, attachments, and the mention of the cooling-off period.
Keep the agreement, note the cooling-off period, and monitor payments, the final settlement, practical arrangements, and any potential unemployment benefit application.
Reviews
Professional advice
Your dismissal specialists helped me very well with professional advice following a labor dispute I had with my employer. They clearly have experience with settlement agreements. I definitely needed their assistance to reach a good agreement with my employer. Thank you for the clear communication and all the help!
My thanks
My thanks to Mr. Geradts,
With great professionalism, decisiveness, speed, and effectiveness, I was able to conclude a good settlement agreement. If your first counteroffer hadn’t been so strong, I wouldn’t have been able to secure even half of it.
Not only because of the money, but certainly also to be able to close my employment history with dignity.
I wish every employee in such a situation could have such a skilled lawyer!
Good severance payment
I want to sincerely thank you for the excellent help I received when my employer wanted to terminate my employment contract with a settlement agreement.
You advised me not to sign the agreement and, through negotiations, secured my unemployment benefits and severance payment.
Good advice
We are an employer in a cyclical industry. Sometimes there is plenty of work, other times too little.
Therefore, we regularly have to part ways with employees for “economic reasons.”
We use the services of vaststellingsovereenkomst.org for this. They know exactly how a dismissal request to the CWI or the subdistrict court should be prepared.
Even in cases where an employee underperforms or behaves inappropriately, we have had good experiences with the lawyers at vaststellingsovereenkomst.org.
They are always available to us with sound advice and have never disappointed us.
Difficult situation
A dismissal specialist helped me in a very difficult situation. I had been so foolish to sign a letter in an emotional state, resigning myself. Because of this, I lost my salary and wasn’t entitled to unemployment benefits. Vaststellingsovereenkomst.org managed to reverse this. They were able to prove that I signed under pressure and didn’t fully understand what I was doing.
In the end, I left with a good severance payment and now I have another job. Without the help of Vaststellingsovereenkomst.org, I would be in serious financial trouble right now.
Higher severance payment
I would like to sincerely thank you for the quick and professional assistance.
My employer unexpectedly presented a settlement agreement to terminate my employment contract, but thanks to your help, I received a higher severance payment and compensation for my vacation days.
Excellent assistance provided
Recently, you helped me with my dismissal case. I am very satisfied with the assistance provided. The lawyer was very involved and well-versed in dismissal law. He understood well that I didn’t want a long procedure but wanted the matter resolved quickly.
That solution came swiftly and to my full satisfaction. I didn’t even have to visit your office. Communication was handled by phone and email, so you were always accessible.
My rating: a solid 10.
Dismissed but still well helped
Because of a conflict at work that got seriously out of hand, I was dismissed immediately (summary dismissal). I had behaved badly during that conflict, so I could understand why my boss took such a harsh measure.
But I still had to fight the dismissal, because I had no job and no right to unemployment benefits. Fortunately, the dismissal specialist dared to take the risk and started a procedure against my employer on a No Cure No Pay basis. Without the possibility of No Cure No Pay, I wouldn’t have dared to do it myself.
In the end, after two procedures, the lawyer from vaststellingsovereenkomst.org succeeded in securing my right to unemployment benefits and even a severance payment.
Dismissal assistance
I worked with great pleasure from the age of 18 at a flower exporter in Aalsmeer.
When I was 54, my employer applied for dismissal through the CWI for economic reasons. At that time, I engaged Mr. Edwin van Jaarsveld from Ontslagspecialist for dismissal assistance.
A dismissal permit could not be avoided because my employer was really in financial trouble. Since my employer offered only a very small severance payment, Mr. van Jaarsveld advised me to start proceedings at the subdistrict court.
That turned out to be successful. The court awarded a severance payment of €94,000.
Thanks to the dedication and excellent legal knowledge of vaststellingsovereenkomst.org, I achieved this great result. Kudos!
Very pleasant experience
We are an international company based in Amsterdam. We have engaged Vaststellingsovereenkomst.org as our regular legal counsel and legal assistance for business matters. They successfully concluded our first legal case immediately.
I have found the collaboration with the lawyers at Vaststellingsovereenkomst.org to be very pleasant. We complement each other well regarding key issues and evidence.
Rarely have I experienced such excellent legal service and attention. I would definitely recommend Vaststellingsovereenkomst.org in every respect; their rates are also very reasonable!
