Assignment #1: Employment-At-Will Doctrine

LEG-500- November 3, 2013

I. Introduction
The employment-at-will is a term part of the labor law in which states that an employee can be dismissed by an employer for any or no reason and without warning. Likewise, an employee is free to leave a job at any time for any or no reason with no adverse legal consequences. At-will also means that an employer can change the terms of the employment relationship with no notice and no consequences. “For example, an employer can alter wages, terminate benefits, or reduce paid time off. In its unadulterated form, the U.S. at-will rule leaves employees vulnerable to arbitrary and sudden dismissal, a limited or on-call work schedule depending on the employer’s needs, and unannounced cuts in pay and benefits” (Glynn, Sullivan, & Arnow-Richman, 2007). There is also the at-will presumption in which it is a default rule that can be modified by contract. For example, a contract may provide for a specific term of employment or allow termination for cause only (Glynn, Sullivan, & Arnow-Richman, 2007). Causes can generally include reasons such as poor employee performance, employee misconduct, or economic necessity. The employment contract would state the reasons or actions that would lead to termination for cause. Also, over the years, courts have carved out exceptions to the at-will presumption to mitigate its sometimes harsh consequences. The three major common law exceptions are public policy, implied contract, and implied covenant of good faith. A whistleblower as defined by this policy is an employee of a company who reports an activity that he/she considers to be illegal or dishonest to one or more of the parties specified in this Policy. The whistleblower is not responsible for investigating the activity or for determining fault or corrective measures, instead