If you aren't sure how your health insurance, stock plan, IRA, or other benefits work when you are RIF-ed or leave the company, download the summary plan descriptions before you make any decisions and read them. There will be some differences between each company's plans. Also, there are often differences between employees who are engineers and senior level managers and executives.
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The way it works at QCOM is unvested RSUs go away as soon as you are terminated. (Vested RSUs are yours to keep.) Options (vested and unvested) are cancelled after 6 month if you sign the severance agreement, or 30 days if you don't. That's not a provision of the severance agreement, but rather the stock option plan.
NOTE: vyq line 1 & 2 should read, in pertinent part: "vested options should be exercised." Compare notes with others. If a company is laying a lot of people off right before the bulk of their options or RSUs vest, it may amount to compensation discrimination. This of course depends on the specific facts, but it is something to keep in mind. The more you know about your rights, the more even-handed the company will have to be in dealing with employees in a RIF. Of course that may come down to "screwing everyone equally," as is currently happening in QCOM. If you think you might be RIF-ed ine up a job and cut your deal early.
@vyq thanks for the info, it's appreciated
Generally, you lose your rights to unvested stock/RSUs, and options must be sold within a certain timeframe--usually between 30 days and 6 months, depending on your severance agreement, status in the company, etc. If you stand to lose a great deal of potential compensation because your RSUs are not vested, you can often negotiate for a better severance package on the basis that the unvested RSUs are deferred compensation. Good luck.