Jenny Craig: Severance Packages

Jenny Craig is a weight loss and nutrition company that provides personalized meal plans, coaching, and support to clients. The company was founded in 1983 by Jenny Craig and her husband, Sidney Craig, and is currently headquartered in Carlsbad, California. The company’s services include one-on-one consultations with a personal consultant, customized meal plans, and a variety of pre-packaged meals and snacks designed to support weight loss goals.

Jenny Craig’s history dates back to 1982 when Jenny Craig opened her first weight loss centre in Melbourne, Australia. The company expanded to the United States in 1985 and has since grown to become a global weight loss and nutrition brand with locations in multiple countries. In 2013, Jenny Craig was acquired by North Castle Partners, a private equity firm focused on the health and wellness industry.

In May 2023, Jenny Craig declared bankruptcy in Canada, closing 97 locations across the country and laying off a number of its 400 employees. Court filings revealed that the company owed more than $323 million to Canadian creditors.

On July 5, health and wellness platform Wellful announced that it was acquiring the Jenny Craig brand. Wellful is owned by private equity firm Kainos Capital. The Jenny Craig website was relaunched as an e-commerce store in fall 2023.

Recent layoffs at Jenny Craig

• May 2023: Jenny Craig announced that it is winding down physical operations and shifting to an e-commerce model that will see staff working from home.

Severance for Jenny Craig employees

In Canada, employees at Jenny Craig 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.

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 pay by company
• Federally regulated employees and severance pay
• Severance packages in mass layoffs

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 countless 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, your employment contract, 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.