Employment Law

Twitter Canada Layoffs and Severance Pay

Dozens of apps are displayed on a smartphone screen. Twitter Canada employees are entitled to severance pay when they lose their job.

Twitter Canada is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Twitter, Inc., an American multinational communications company that operates a microblogging and social networking platform.

Founded in 2006, Twitter employs a global workforce of approximately 7,500 people, according to The Washington Post.

Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the company has offices in major cities around the world, including Toronto, Paris, Berlin, London, Sydney, and Madrid.

Twitter claims that its social media platform has more than 200 million daily active users.

Recent Layoffs at Twitter

November 2022

According to reports on Nov. 4, the billionaire and new owner of the social media giant has started cutting approximately 3,700 employees, or half of the company’s workforce, in a bid to reduce costs.

News of the mass layoff was shared with staff through an internal email that was obtained by multiple news outlets.

While it remains unclear how many Twitter Canada employees are affected by the latest round of cuts, at least two high-ranking executives have been let go.

Paul Burns, managing director at Twitter Canada, and Michele Austin, Twitter’s director of public policy for Canada and the U.S., took to LinkedIn on Nov. 4 to share that they had been laid off.

Samfiru Tumarkin LLP has been contacted by numerous Twitter employees impacted by this particular round of terminations.

July 2022

Twitter confirmed that it’s laying off 30 per cent of its talent acquisition team roughly two months into a companywide hiring freeze. A spokesperson said affected employees will receive severance packages, but refused to comment on the specifics.

October 2016

Twitter is cutting around nine per cent of its workforce as the social media giant looks to restructure itself into a company that can continue to run on its own. The cuts are focused on Twitter’s sales, partnerships, and marketing divisions.

October 2015

Twitter announced that it’s laying off approximately 336 employees, or eight per cent of its workforce. In a tweet, CEO Jack Dorsey said he made some “tough but necessary decisions that enable Twitter to move [forward] with greater focus and reinvest in our growth.”

Severance for Twitter Canada employees

In Canada, non-unionized employees at Twitter can get up to 24 months of severance pay when they are fired or laid off from their job. This includes individuals working full-time, part-time, and hourly in Ontario, Alberta, or B.C.

Severance is the compensation a non-unionized worker in Canada receives from their employer when they are fired without cause.

Even if you are fired for cause, it’s very likely that you are still entitled to full severance pay because employees often don’t meet the conditions necessary for this type of dismissal.

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Severance for provincially regulated employees
Severance packages in mass layoffs

Regardless of a company’s grasp on employment law, they are legally required to provide proper compensation following a termination.

This concept applies during challenging economic conditions, downsizing, the closure of a business, or major 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 numerous employees from the social media industry 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.

Laid Off From Twitter Canada?

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How to properly calculate severance pay

Employers often incorrectly calculate severance pay. There is a belief that severance pay is one week’s pay, two weeks’ pay, or a week for every year of service an employee has with the company.

For non-unionized employees, the main factors of termination or severance pay include age, length of service, position, bonuses, benefits, and the ability to find new work.

If you work at Twitter Canada, you are likely a provincially regulated employee. That means your severance package must consider:

To figure out how much compensation you may be entitled to, use our firm’s Pocket Employment Lawyer.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
• Severance Pay in Ontario
• Alberta severance packages
• Understanding severance in B.C.
Layoffs in Canada

Don’t sign on the dotted line!

Do not accept any severance offer, termination papers, or exit agreement that Twitter Canada may provide you with.

Once you sign back these documents, you eliminate your ability to negotiate a fair and proper severance package.

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.

Get What You're Owed

Our employment lawyers in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia are ready to provide you with the advice you need and the compensation you deserve

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Disclaimer: The materials above are provided as general information about the rights of 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.

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Consult with Samfiru Tumarkin LLP. We are one of Canada's most experienced and trusted employment, labour and disability law firms. Take advantage of our years of experience and success in the courtroom and at the negotiating table.

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