NEWS REFERENCE
According to a report by Reuters, published on November 4, 2026, Alphabet’s Google confirmed that it began offering voluntary exit packages in June to some employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Switzerland. The company said some teams introduced a voluntary exit program with severance in 2025 and expanded it to a few more countries this summer. Reuters could not determine how many employees accepted. Employees in Google Cloud and DeepMind have been excluded from past offers. The report also noted that in at least one case, Google followed its voluntary offers to a division with a round of layoffs. The terms of the Canadian offer were not disclosed. In Switzerland, accepting employees received one month’s salary for each year of service, up to 12 months.
What the Report Tells Us, and What It Does Not
Google has described its program as an option for employees who no longer feel aligned with the company’s pace or direction. The Reuters report does not say how many Canadian employees received offers, which teams were covered, or what the Canadian packages contain.
What it does say matters for anyone weighing an offer. Google has now run this program in waves, across several countries, over more than a year. In at least one case, a division that received voluntary offers later faced layoffs.
If you work for Google in Canada, you may be deciding with limited information about what comes next. That makes it more important to understand what you are owed before you answer.
The Swiss Formula Does Not Apply to You
The only package terms in the report come from Switzerland: one month’s salary per year of service, capped at 12 months. Those figures are useful for context, but they have no legal bearing on Canadian employees.
If you are an Ontario employee, your entitlements come from the Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Ontario common law. Google’s offer is a negotiated exit package. It may meet your legal entitlement, fall short of it, or exceed it. You cannot tell which without calculating your entitlement first.
What You Are Entitled To Under Ontario Law
ESA termination pay — One week of notice or pay in lieu per year of service, up to eight weeks.
ESA severance pay — Google’s Ontario payroll far exceeds the $2.5 million threshold. With five or more years of service, you are entitled to one additional week per year of service, up to 26 weeks. This is separate from termination pay.
Common law reasonable notice — Ontario courts assess your age, length of service, seniority and the difficulty of finding comparable work. For a long-service engineer or specialist, this can reach 12 to 24 months, often far more than the ESA minimums.
Bonus, equity, and benefits — Stock that would have vested during your notice period, a near-earned bonus, benefits continuation and unused vacation pay all belong in the calculation. At a company like Google, unvested equity is often the largest single item.
Voluntary Does Not Mean Risk-Free
A voluntary program is a choice, but it is a legal transaction. In exchange for a package, you will almost certainly sign a release that permanently ends your right to claim anything further.
Declining carries its own questions. The Reuters report notes that voluntary offers were followed by layoffs in at least one division. That does not mean the same will happen to your team. But if you decline and are later terminated, your entitlements are assessed under the same rules. Declining does not cost you your rights, though it may change your timing and bargaining position.
You should also know which kind of exit you are being offered. A true resignation can affect your common law claim and your access to EI. A mutual separation with a severance package is treated differently. The wording of the agreement matters.
If You Already Accepted
Some Canadian employees may have already accepted an offer, since the program began in June. If you signed a release, it is generally binding. Courts will set one aside only in limited circumstances, such as where you were given no real opportunity to get advice, the terms were unconscionable, or you were misled about material facts.
If you accepted and now have doubts, get advice promptly. Do not assume the question is closed, and do not assume it is open. An employment lawyer can read your agreement and tell you which.
What to Do Before You Decide
1/ Do not sign under time pressure. Use the full period the offer allows. A deadline is a reason to start sooner, not a reason to skip the review.
2/ Read the release closely. Know which claims you are giving up, and whether it includes confidentiality or non-disparagement terms.
3/ Calculate your full entitlement. Base salary, bonus, unvested equity during the notice period, benefits and vacation pay all count. Compare that figure with the offer.
4/ Check your employment contract. A termination clause limiting you to ESA minimums may not be enforceable under Ontario law.
5/ Understand the EI effect. How the payment is structured and labelled can delay your EI start date. Apply at Service Canada as soon as your employment ends.
6/ Get independent legal advice. This matters most if you are long-serving, senior, or holding significant unvested stock.
The bottom line: Google has made voluntary exits a recurring feature of its cost strategy, and Microsoft’s 60,000-employee offer last week suggests other large technology companies are watching. For the employee holding the offer, the question is narrower: does the package match what Ontario law says you are owed? Answer that before you decide, because the release you sign will not give you a second chance.
