Golden handshakes or mutual separation agreements are common practice, especially where there is a breakdown in the relationship between a board and its executives or between ordinary employees and executives. Golden handshakes are payments to an employee, mostly at the executive level, who retires early or is made redundant, for example, owing to restructuring, a merger or an acquisition. Given their complexity, how can companies navigate the  Legal Framework Surrounding Golden Handshakes? Thami Ngubeni spoke to Faith Mashapa, a legal advisor at Strata G Labour Solutions.