2 week notice

What is the name of your state?Hi,

I live in California. My employer let me go a few weeks ago, however he did not pay me for my 2 week notice. I told him for this full time job when I started that I would like a courtsey 2 week notice if I am ever let go. He verbally agreed then. Also, the day I was fired, he said he would take care of me (for a month) with a paycheck (as I thought per our prior 2 week verbal agreement). He said that I could go home for the 2 weeks and wouldn't have to worry about it. After 1 month he still did not pay my money. I sent him quite a few emails and he did not reply. When I called him, he could not recollect from his memory whether he verbally agreed to that. Now he doesn't return my calls.

What should my course of action be? Some people have told me to go to BBB or lawyers. I thought it was common practice to give employees 2 weeks in state of California.

Thanks

If the company is contesting that the verbal agreement ever existed, and you do not have a contract specifically stating the agreement, you're in all likelihood, out of luck.

Employers with any brains don't fire someone, then continue to pay them. If they're worth firing, they're not worth getting paid. Why would they? And I'm not being mean here, because I was fired once, so it's happened to me. It is not, as you thought, "common practice"; in fact, to the contrary. And that isn't illegal.

Just as an FYI, nothing whatsoever in the law of any state, including California, requires an employer to pay an employee for a notice period that is not worked unless they have a bona fide, binding contract that specifies it.

Unless the circumstances mean that the WARN Act applies, no employer in any state is required to give an employee notice that they are being let go. It is NOT common practice to do so and there are some extremely good reasons why.