Do I have to?

System · August 2003

Ex employee sends a letter asking for copies of her w2's for all the years she worked with us. Ironic thing is that she was in my department when I got promoted there and was laid off about a year later. It was a bitter departure to say the least.
It is going to take a lot of work to find out where those are but that's not entirely my issue here. Don't you hate it when ex ee's call and ask for copies of their w2's? Alot of my ee's are young and tend to move around alot without informing me of change of address. Then some of them call again cause they lost it, or the dog ate it ,or it self combusted etc. Aren't w2's THEIR responsibilty?
She was here from 1997 to 2001.
P.S. I wasn't the one that laid her off and had nothing to do with it but she blamed me anyway. Thought because she had seniority it should have been me. Truth was she was totally incompetent and a real handful to boot!

cebudragonlady · August 2003

Send her the W-2's via certified mail, along with a letter stating that any future requests will require a one dollar per page copying fee - payable in advance . It is not to be mean, but 5 years of W-2's may be the tip of the iceberg with this EE...what if she wants copies of pay-checks going all the way back?

Chari

bamahr · August 2003

I have current employees who call and request their W-2's. They call the morning they have an appointment with the Mortage Company and think I can pull them out of thin air. We outsource our payroll so it could take a week for me to get them.

We fired an employee, the next day he calls and proceeds to call me some very colorful names - this was about 2 years ago. He needed information for a Motgage last week. I had the hardest time finding his information. HMMM

HS · August 2003

>We fired an employee, the next day he calls and proceeds to call me
>some very colorful names - this was about 2 years ago. He needed
>information for a Motgage last week. I had the hardest time finding
>his information. HMMM

I sure hope you still gave it to him! Put yourself in his shoes, applying for a mortgage is not an easy time, and to be given a hard time by a former company, that just adds fuel to the fire. We need to rise above those 'bad seeds' level and take the high road. What you did just puts you down at his level. We are supposed to be the professionals. Sorry, just my .02cents worth.

deez, I agree with cebudragonlady...do it this time, but let the employee know that all future requests will have a, charge per page copied, fee and will require a (insert reasonable number) day processing period.

dmartenson · August 2003

I'm with you. Any time I get a request for employment verification for a mortgage for a current or past ee, I try to turn it around the same day. I would want someone to do that for me. HOWEVER, it is my one way to get a little satisfaction for a past ee who has been shall we say, less than stellar? or left the company owing us money? or was a major pain in the butt. My feeling is what goes around, comes around. I do send the info, just not a one-day turn around as I do for the nice guys. Haven't these ee's ever heard "don't burn your bridges?"

Pixie · August 2003

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 08-11-03 AT 08:07AM (CST)[/font][p]One day turn around? Wow. It must be nice to be in the position to drop what you are doing and jump through the hoops at the demands of former and/or current employees. I give it a one week turn around. If they have an appointment today with the mortgage company or IRS or any one else, and even if today is April 15th and they have an immediate need for the W2 ... not my problem. Poor planning on their part does not constitute an emergency on mine. It has absolutely nothing to do with rising above. My time is very valuable and my job responsibilites many that I don't have time nor tolerance for employees that demand I stop what I'm doing because they dropped the ball and and waited until the last minute to request a W2 or any other employment related information.

JulieP · August 2003

I try to have a 1-day turnaround also. As all HR people are, I am very busy, but feel that employees come first. If an employee comes to me with a request, I try to handle that a quick as possible. Make the employees feel important and you will have a lot less complaints and problems. x:-)

Crout · August 2003

I think that when you faithfully sent out her W-2's every January while she was employed there you executed your responsibility....no? How has your company handled similar requests in the past?

System · August 2003

We usually make the effort with one restriction, if they live in the area they'd best get their b&*% in here and pick it up themselves! (car broke on the way to work this morning, I am NOT in a good mood)
What am I legally required to do though?

Don D · August 2003

This has turned into an interesting exchange. I don't know about having a responsibility to furnish copies 'going back in time' ad infinitum. And if I were going to charge per page, Dragonlady, it might be more like $6 per page. Five bucks for all that work by several departments is not reasonable. Are we even required to produce it beyond the previous year? As to whether or not we respond equally fast to all service needers, I must admit being human and sometimes just a tad slower to respond to pains in the butt. Now if they were trapped inside a burning auto in the parking lot, I would break the window and drag them out regardless of their antics in the past. But untimely, burdensome requests for records from my office, I might place it nearer the bottom of my 'today' stack. If a guy was rude to you all the way through the grocery store as you maneuvered your buggy through the aisles, would you let him ahead of you in the checkout line if he had only two items, like you would the old gent who had smiled and offered to help you back at the orange juice cooler? Certainly you would not.

Rockie · August 2003

I don't think you would be legally obligated to provide these back W-2s to any employee. Once you have given them the information, it is their responsiblity to retain them. What about getting a copy of them off her previous tax returns? An individual is obligated to keep these records and be able to produce them for the IRS for the past either 5 or 7 years. You may suggest she does this as it will take you a LOOOOOOOng time to find these for her.

Do I have to?

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