> What if one is being laid off and the company offers them a severance package of X weeks pay for signing some papers?
That's not crazy -- they're compensating you for the inconvenience.
Whether that's a good idea or not is a different story, and would depend on how easily you could get a job, what it would pay you if/when you got it, and how much/how long the compensation would be.
In the oil industry it's not uncommon to see 1- or 2-year non-competes... with 100% compensation for the same amount of time.
That's not crazy -- they're compensating you for the inconvenience.
Whether that's a good idea or not is a different story, and would depend on how easily you could get a job, what it would pay you if/when you got it, and how much/how long the compensation would be.
In the oil industry it's not uncommon to see 1- or 2-year non-competes... with 100% compensation for the same amount of time.