TSI spent the week with World@Work and a gathering of some of the biggest names in Employee Benefits at World@Work's 2010 Annual Conference. It seems more and more businesses have caught on to the severance redesign trend. Far too many HR executives expressed concern over their own inequitable layoffs of the Great Recession and many have come to understand their separation benefit plans, like most of their other benefits, need a major revamp.

One of the key concerns TSI recognized among a good percentage of the W@W group was that during the height of the crisis, separation packages were slashed. Some employees were turned out with nothing, other with tiny severance, still others with those big ones still making the news. These inequities can not only be addressed with a SUB Plan, but available monies stretched to provide support to employees who otherwise walk out empty-handed.

Looking at the structure of severance during this recovery period is finally starting to become an attractive idea. Having a scaffold in place in case the economy takes another trip has become the new trend, one key executives realize is necessary to protect the bottom line in the future.