Ethics Case 2

1. How does the concept of “employment at will” relate to “term limits” for employees?

Employment at will and term limits share the common characteristic of both favoring the side of the employer. When a company has the ability to discharge the employee for any reason, this strips those individuals of all rights which could protect them from discrimination. Both types of employment cause a high degree of uncertainty for employees as they may be terminated without notice, or lose their job to another applicant during their reapplication process. This also creates an environment where a union cannot function. Without union representation, employees risk carrying little to no bargaining power in regards to wages and working conditions. Low-wage, non-union work thus becomes very undesirable because of the essential lack of respect generated by the management. Employees are looked at as nothing more than an asset rather than a human.

2. Should it be legal for employers to impose term limits on employees? Why or why not?

In terms of legality, I feel that this type of employment should be legal. When both parties willfully enter into a contract then no one is at fault. If an individual is willing to enter into this type of an employment obligation then I see nothing wrong with keeping term limits as a viable option so long as the details of the employment contract are easily understandable an explained before the new hire is asked to sign any documentation enforcing the contract. An area of this process which may be called into question is the reapplication process which applicants must endure following the end of their term agreement. While it is favorable for the company to have the ability to possibly cut a higher paid employee and fill that spot with a lower paid worker raises several concerns as to possible discriminatory actions that could take place. Once a term ends, both parties are then free from any obligations which were expected in the...