How many days notice must an employee be given before termination?

The requirement for notice before termination can vary depending on specific laws and regulations that govern employment, such as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act in the United States, which mandates that employers provide 60 days' notice in advance of covered plant closings and mass layoffs. This federal law is designed to give employees adequate time to prepare for the loss of their job by seeking other employment or training opportunities.

In many regular at-will employment situations, employment may be terminated without any notice at all, but when specific laws apply or when an employer has policies in place that extend this courtesy, a 60-day notice period is a common timeframe used. Therefore, the option for a 30 days’ notice is less common and generally does not align with how laws like the WARN Act dictate the notice period for significant layoff scenarios.