Final answer:
Employers are required to give a 60-day advance notice before plant closings or large layoffs, with the exception being if the employee is on a short-term contract or within a probationary period.
Step-by-step explanation:
An employer is required to provide advance notice to an employee whose employment is being terminated unless the employee is working on a short-term contract or during a probationary period. Legislation commonly requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide written notice 60 days before plant closings or large layoffs. This is both a standard precaution in the labor market to avoid the potential costs associated with hiring a 'lemon' of an employee and a measure to give the employee time to adjust and seek new employment if their position is part of larger scale layoffs. On the employee side, it is generally considered proper to provide at least two weeks of notice when voluntarily leaving a position, though more notice may be required as per the contractual agreement.