Final answer:
Employers must provide Form W-2 within 30 days of a written request by the terminated employee. Additional wages can also be paid to terminated employees if necessary. The WARN Act requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide written notice 60 days before plant closings or large layoffs.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct statement regarding the obligations of employers towards terminated employees is: A. Employers must provide Form W-2 within 30 days of receiving a written request. Employers are legally required to provide terminated employees their Form W-2, which summarizes an employee's annual wages and the amount of taxes withheld from their paycheck, by January 31 of the year following the year of termination. Providing the Form W-2 with final pay or by December 31 of the termination year is not required under federal law.
There is also no rule that absolutely prevents an employer from paying additional wages to terminated employees. Additional wages may be paid out, for example, if there was a discrepancy, bonus arrangement, or if other compensatory agreements were made.
In the context of layoffs and plant closings, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide written notice 60 days before plant closings or large layoffs, which helps ensure that employees have time to prepare for the transition.
In Europe, the requirements can be more stringent, with various countries mandating lengthy notice periods and substantial severance or retraining packages, which can have implications for both laying off and hiring decisions due to the additional costs and obligations imposed on businesses.