[Myrddin]

My former employer kept places a 20 page "intellectual property agreement" on my desk. It made the company owner of any intellectual property that I ever produce and extended the control over heirs and assigns. I put in in my briefcase and ignored it. Another copy appeared. I stashed every copy for weeks. After 3 months, a general notice was issued that the "agreement" was illegal and unenforceable. I never signed any of the copies that we endlessly dumped on my desk.

Returning to the topic of the thread, the practice of forcing employees to train replacements on pain of not getting a severance is pretty common. If you refuse and the company terminates you, you qualify for unemployment. If agree to the servitude and severance, you've just executed a voluntary quit and the employer has no obligation with respect to unemployment compensation. If you don't do as agreed, the severance payments stop and you have no recourse.

If you have time on the books, go on vacation. You'll collect more money and retain benefits vs taking a lump sum with a higher withholding rate and an immediate termination of benefits. Use the "vacation" time to find another job. Assuming you land one, issue your two week notice and go away.

[Justa]

IT offshoring and a post-employment expectation of service has Middle Management written all over it. They bloat a company and get rid of every non-mgmt. employee they can to cover their expenses regardless of how critical the employees are. When the company fails they update their resumes and flock to their next host. Suntrust will be listed in their resumes as “a major regional banking institution”.