Hudson’s Bay Company: Severance Packages
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Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) is a retail business group founded in 1670, making it one of the oldest corporations in the world. The company is headquartered in New York City, with its Canadian headquarters located in Toronto. HBC operates several retail banners, including Hudson’s Bay, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Saks OFF 5TH. In Canada, the company is known for its department store chain, Hudson’s Bay, which offers a wide range of products from fashion and accessories to home goods and beauty products.
Globally, HBC has approximately 30,000 employees, with a significant portion of its workforce based in Canada. The variety of jobs at HBC includes sales associates, store managers, buyers, logistics and distribution staff, IT professionals, and corporate roles in marketing, finance, and human resources.
In recent years, HBC has undergone significant changes in its business structure. It was acquired by a consortium of investors led by HBC’s Governor and Executive Chairman, Richard Baker, and became a privately-held company in 2020. In July 2024, HBC announced that it would acquire the Neiman Marcus Group for $2.65 billion.
Recent layoffs at Hudson's Bay
- July 2024: Saks Global is merging Saks.com, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Saks Off 5th under one roof, resulting in 100 layoffs and new appointments.
- May 2024: Hudson’s Bay is eliminating less than one per cent of its workforce as part of a “realignment” of its organizational structure.
- March 2024: Hudson’s Bay is preparing to close its Burlington Centre location in June. The company said it is doing its best to offer transfer opportunities to affected staff.
- June 2023: Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has learned that HBC may be closing its Lougheed Mall location in Burnaby, B.C. by the end of 2023.
- May 2023: Hudson’s Bay is eliminating 250 corporate jobs as it takes additional steps to “flatten the organization and streamline operations.”
- January 2023: Hudson’s Bay is cutting approximately 250 jobs, or two per cent of its total workforce, in an effort to increase efficiencies within its operations.
- February 2022: Hudson’s Bay Company announced the closure of its historical Toronto location. The iconic location, which opened in 1974, closed its doors on May 31, 2022.
- January 2021: Hudson’s Bay Company is laying off more than 600 Canadian workers, less than five per cent of its total workforce, amid ongoing store closures due to COVID-19 lockdowns.
- June 2017: Hudson’s Bay Company is eliminating 2,000 jobs throughout North America to help offset various challenges it is facing within the retail sector.
- September 2015: Hudson’s Bay Company announced that it is cutting 265 jobs at its corporate offices across North America, including Toronto.
Severance for Hudson’s Bay employees
In Canada, non-unionized employees at HBC may get up to 24 months of severance pay when they are fired or laid off from their job. This applies to individuals working in any capacity—full-time, part-time, or hourly—in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Contractors may also be entitled to severance pay due to employee misclassification.
Severance is the compensation provided to non-unionized workers in Canada by their employer when they are terminated without cause.
Even if an employee is fired for cause, they may still be eligible for full severance pay. This is due to the high standards required to legally justify for-cause dismissal.
LEARN MORE
• Severance for provincially regulated employees
• Severance packages in mass layoffs
• How severance pay works by company
• Severance for federally regulated employees
The right to severance pay is consistent regardless of economic conditions, company downsizing, business closures, or significant public health events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
WATCH: Employment lawyer Lior Samfiru explains everything you need to know about severance pay on an episode of the Employment Law Show.
The employment lawyers at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP have represented tens of thousands of employees over the years in severance package negotiations.
We have successfully secured much larger amounts for individuals employed across a variety of positions, from entry level jobs to executives.
How to properly calculate severance pay
There is a general belief that severance is one week’s pay, two weeks’ pay, or a week for every year of service an employee has with a company.
The reality is that severance for non-unionized employees in Canada is calculated using a variety of factors, including age, length of service, position, bonuses, benefits, and your ability to find new work.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Severance Pay in Ontario
• Alberta severance packages
• Understanding severance in B.C.
• Layoffs in Canada
Before accepting a severance offer, double-check the amount using our firm’s free Severance Pay Calculator. It has helped millions of Canadians determine their entitlements.
If your employer’s offer falls short of what our Severance Pay Calculator says you are owed, it’s very likely that you have been wrongfully dismissed and should contact an experienced employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP.
Don’t sign on the dotted line!
Do not accept any severance offer, termination papers, or exit agreement that you receive. Once you sign back these documents, you eliminate your ability to negotiate additional severance pay.
Non-unionized employees in Canada have up to two years from the date of their dismissal to pursue proper severance pay. An employer’s deadline to sign back a severance offer is not legally enforceable or binding.
Generally speaking, if an employee does not receive the proper amount of severance pay when they lose their job, they may be considered to have been wrongfully dismissed. An employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP can analyze your situation and explain how much compensation you may be owed.
Talk to an employment lawyer
The experienced employment law team at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has helped tens of thousands of non-unionized individuals across the country. In addition to severance package negotiations, our team has experience securing solutions for the following employment matters:
Our lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and B.C. stand ready to help you solve your workplace issues.
If you are a non-unionized employee who needs help with an employment issue, contact us or call 1-855-821-5900 to get the advice you need, and the compensation you deserve.
Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of non-unionized employees in Canada. It is not specific to any one company and should not be read as suggesting any improper conduct on the part of any specific employer, or a relationship between Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and a specific employer.