Resources
Free tools for HR teams running a RIF
WARN Act reference, adverse impact calculators, and compliance checklists, built from the same logic that powers People Plan.
WARN Act: State-by-State Guide
Federal WARN Act thresholds plus every state mini-WARN law in one place. Notice periods, employee thresholds, mandatory severance rules, and key nuances for CA, NY, NJ, IL, and more.
California WARN Act (Cal-WARN)
Complete guide to Cal-WARN: 75-employee minimum, 60-day notice, no financial distress exception, part-time coverage, and the 90-day aggregation trap. Includes decision tree, notice checklist, and common mistakes.
New York WARN Act (NY WARN)
90-day notice requirement, company-wide employee count, dual trigger thresholds, and no financial distress exception. Complete guide for HR and legal teams planning a New York RIF.
New Jersey WARN Act (NJ WARN)
The only state WARN law with mandatory severance: 1 week per year of service. Plus 90-day notice, no financial distress exception, and major 2023 amendments. Complete guide including severance calculator examples.
Am I Required to File WARN?
Answer a few questions about your headcount, location, and timeline and get a plain-English answer on whether federal or state WARN notice is required, and when.
Adverse Impact Analysis
How to run an adverse impact analysis before a RIF. Covers the EEOC 4/5ths rule, Fisher's exact test, age analysis under the ADEA, what to do when you fail, and documentation requirements.
RIF Selection Criteria
How to build a legally defensible employee selection process for a RIF: objective vs. subjective criteria, the selection matrix, decisional unit definition, adverse impact, and documentation requirements.
RIF Compliance Checklist
The 40-step checklist HR, Legal, and Finance teams use to run a defensible reduction in force: from selection criteria through execution day.
When Adverse Impact Fails: What to Do Next
Your RIF selection list failed the 4/5ths rule. Here are your options: restructure the pool, apply additional criteria, document business necessity, or reduce scope. A practical remediation guide for HR and legal teams.
WARN Act Notice Template
Exactly what a WARN notice must contain under 20 CFR 639.7. Separate templates for employee notice, state agency notice, and local government notice. Includes required elements, sample language, and common mistakes.
WARN Act Exceptions: UFBC, Faltering Company, Natural Disaster
Deep guide to the three federal WARN exceptions. Courts apply them narrowly and the burden is on the employer. Includes case examples, circuit-by-circuit differences, and the documentation you need to defend an exception claim.
WARN Act in Mergers and Acquisitions
How WARN obligations change in M&A: asset sales vs. stock purchases, the sale of business exception, successor liability, and private equity post-acquisition RIFs. Guide for in-house counsel and HR teams.
Multi-State RIF: WARN Across Multiple States
How to manage simultaneous federal and state WARN obligations when a RIF spans multiple states. Notice period coordination, remote worker state rules, sequencing, and the 14-state reference matrix.
OWBPA Compliance: ADEA Waiver Requirements
Complete OWBPA compliance guide for HR and legal teams. Covers 21-day vs 45-day consideration periods, 7-day revocation, decisional unit disclosure requirements, and what makes a waiver void.
Severance Agreement Requirements
What makes a severance agreement legally valid and enforceable. Covers consideration, OWBPA requirements for employees 40+, non-disparagement, non-compete enforceability by state, and rights that cannot be waived.
Post-RIF Operations: The 60 Days After a Layoff
What HR teams need to do after notification day: COBRA deadlines, WARN documentation retention, severance processing, rehire policy, reference policy, unemployment claims, and survivor communication.
Texas WARN Act (Federal Only)
Texas has no state WARN law. Federal WARN Act still requires 60-day advance notice for plant closings and mass layoffs at companies with 100+ employees. Complete guide for Texas employers including decision tree and notice requirements.
Florida WARN Act (Federal Only)
Florida has no state WARN law. Federal WARN applies fully, including the 60-day notice requirement for covered plant closings and mass layoffs. Includes industry notes for hospitality, healthcare, and financial services employers.
Georgia WARN Act (Federal Only)
Georgia has no state WARN law. Federal WARN governs all covered plant closings and mass layoffs. Includes Atlanta-area industry notes for logistics, tech, manufacturing, and healthcare employers.
Pennsylvania WARN Act (Federal Only)
Pennsylvania has no state WARN law, but sits between New York (90-day notice) and New Jersey (mandatory severance). Complete guide for Pennsylvania employers including comparison with NJ WARN.
Ohio WARN Act (Federal Only)
Ohio has no state WARN law. Federal WARN applies, and the Sixth Circuit applies the UFBC exception narrowly. Guide for Ohio employers in automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare.
North Carolina WARN Act (Federal Only)
North Carolina has no state WARN law. Federal WARN governs employers in Charlotte banking, Research Triangle tech, and pharma. Includes comparison with NY WARN.
Virginia WARN Act (Federal Only)
Virginia has no state WARN law. Covers federal WARN obligations for government contractors in Northern Virginia, including the UFBC exception and contract expiration rules.
Arizona WARN Act (Federal Only)
Arizona has no state WARN law but borders California, which has the strictest state WARN in the country. Guide for Arizona semiconductor, tech, and financial services employers.
Minnesota WARN Act (MN Plant Closing Law)
Minnesota plant closing law applies to employers with 50 or more employees — half the federal threshold. 60-day notice required. Complete guide including decision tree and comparison with federal WARN.
Maryland WARN Act (Economic Stabilization Act)
Maryland Economic Stabilization Act requires 60-day notice for plant closings, substantial layoffs, and relocations of 25+ miles at employers with 50+ employees. Complete guide including relocation trigger analysis.
Nevada WARN Act (State and Federal)
Nevada requires state notice to DETR alongside federal WARN obligations. Complete guide for Nevada employers including gaming and hospitality industry notes and comparison with neighboring Cal-WARN.
Oregon WARN Act (ORS 652.825)
Oregon's plant closing law (ORS 652.825) has a lower mass layoff trigger than federal WARN and is part of the West Coast's dense state-law environment alongside Cal-WARN and WA WARN. Complete guide for Oregon employers.
Illinois WARN Act (IL WARN)
Illinois WARN applies to employers with 75 or more employees — a lower threshold than federal WARN. 60-day notice required, no mandatory severance, and a lower mass layoff trigger. Complete guide including comparison table and decision tree.
Maine Plant Closure Law (Maine WARN)
Maine requires 60-day notice, mandatory severance of 1 week per year, and health benefit continuation. Only employees with 3+ years at the facility are covered. One of the most demanding state plant closure laws.
Washington WARN Act (WA WARN)
Complete guide to Washington WARN: 100-employee threshold, 60-day notice, mass layoff triggers, and key differences from federal WARN. Includes decision tree and comparison table.
Wisconsin WARN Act (WI WARN)
Wisconsin WARN applies to employers with 50 or more employees, half the federal threshold. Complete guide including decision tree, comparison table, and common mistakes.
Connecticut WARN Act (CT WARN)
Connecticut explicitly covers business relocations of 50+ miles as a separate WARN trigger. Complete guide including decision tree, relocation analysis, and comparison table.
OWBPA Decisional Unit Disclosure Template
Free Excel template for the group termination disclosure required by the OWBPA. Includes decisional unit guidance, a waiver checklist, and the 45-day consideration period rules.
Severance Agreement Checklist
Every provision HR and legal teams need to cover before finalizing a severance agreement: release of claims, OWBPA requirements for employees 40+, consideration periods, non-competes, COBRA, and 12-section final review.
Severance Calculator
Estimate total severance cost for a RIF. Set your formula, floor, and cap. Includes NJ statutory minimum overlay and flags employees 40+ for OWBPA requirements.
COBRA Notice Requirements for RIFs
COBRA deadlines, penalties, and common mistakes for HR teams managing a reduction in force. Covers the 14-day notice window, $110/day per-beneficiary penalty, and the employer vs. TPA notice chain.
Manager Notification Script
What managers say on notification day: in-person and remote versions, an HR manager prep guide, and the mistakes that turn a hard conversation into a legal or reputational problem.
RIF Planning Timeline
A phase-by-phase timeline from decision through 30-day close-out. Covers WARN analysis, adverse impact, severance documentation, manager prep, execution day, and post-RIF. Includes an Excel workbook with execution week and close-out checklists.
State Severance & Final Pay Laws
Final pay deadlines, PTO payout requirements, mandatory severance, and mini-WARN coverage for all 50 states. Searchable and filterable. Includes a downloadable Excel workbook.
Adverse Impact Calculator
Enter headcount by race/ethnicity, sex, and age group to check the EEOC 4/5ths rule before finalizing your RIF selection list. Live results with pass/fail for each group and small-sample flagging.