What to do when your position is eliminated

I am a 33-year-old professional who has recently been told, after 12 years, that my position has been eliminated. I work for a global company as a regional manager for North America, but am paid through our Canadian office. Just over a year ago, the organization was restructured and I was promoted from a supervisor in Canada to my new role reporting to a director in our U.S. office.
The vice-president of our Canadian facility to whom I use to report did not agree with the corporate directives I was responsible for implementing and we often had professional disagreements about the “old way of running things” versus our new corporate strategy. He made my new role so challenging that my director often had to intervene. Another restructure has just happened and our Canadian facility has now been given back to my old boss with all Canadian employees reporting directly to him.
I was told by HR that my position had been eliminated. My American boss said I could go home and continue to work from home and continue to be responsible for the three remaining departments I had in North America and remain on the Canadian payroll for two more weeks. Meanwhile, she is continuing to work with corporate to offer me a position working for the Americas with 70 per cent more travel.
I am now sitting at home wondering about my future while I mourn the loss of a position I held with many successes and much praise. I have no idea what will be presented to me in two weeks. What are my rights and what should I be prepared for when this meeting occurs?

Why courts will say no to unfair termination contracts

What happens if a just-dismissed employee is misled into signing a release that prevents him from taking further legal action? Will it matter if the employer took advantage of that employee’s vulnerability by steering him towards signing the document without pointing out that he had other choices? According to a recent Ontario case, employers have a duty to treat their employees fairly at the time of termination. Otherwise, even a signed document can be set aside.

Employee bound by agreement he didn’t agree to

The golden years are not always golden. Just ask Stuart Johnson. Nearing his 65th birthday and 40th year with his company, Johnson could have been celebrating. Instead, he was told that company policy required him to retire. But Johnson, the on-air operations manager for Global Television in Victoria, B.C., didn’t believe he had agreed to mandatory retirement at age 65 and argued that it wasn’t a term of his employment. The court decided otherwise.

Beware of employment contracts

It’s possibly the worst fraud in workplace law – corporations, with expensive lawyers and deeper pockets, insisting that employees sign one-sided contracts that reduce their legal rights. And employees, without bargaining power or an understanding of the law, not realizing their interests have been undermined.

Employees must read the fine print

It’s possibly the worst fraud in workplace law – Corporations, with expensive lawyers and deeper pockets, convincing employees to sign one-sided contracts that reduce their legal rights. And employees, without bargaining power or an understanding of the law, not realizing their interests have been undermined.