Contrary to popular belief, settlement agreements are not a one-way street in favour of employers.
In fact, employees who are unhappy in their job are perfectly within their rights to approach employers on a ‘without prejudice’ basis to determine whether they would be open to the idea of negotiating the conditions of the termination of their employment.
After all, a settlement agreement is effectively a legally binding contract which bypasses the need to take an employment dispute to a court or tribunal – and many employees will wish to resolve their disputes as quickly, easily and efficiently as their respective employers.
Not to mention the fact that settlement agreements can be equally beneficial to both parties – whether it be on the grounds of obtaining an agreed job reference under difficult circumstances, agreeing a payment out of court, or just avoiding long-winded proceedings.
Why risk being faced with unfair dismissal and messy tribunals?