Employment at Will

Employment at Will Doctrine, An Examination Employment at Will Doctrine

LEG-500:, Law, Ethics & Corporate Governance

January 29, 2013

Abstract

Employment at Will could be perceived by some employees as a secret code only dedicated to protecting powerful corporate employers from being found guilty of actual malicious discharge. However, employers may perceive the Employment at Will Doctrine as a means by which employees can legally shield themselves from alleged corporate abuse and fight back from a legal standpoint by claims of wrongful discharge. The key perceptions here are protection and defense. Moreover, many employees nor employers understand this doctrine well enough to clearly understand their vantage point in the arbitrary matters employment at will.

Employment at Will as it is a legal doctrine, is complicated from both perspectives. It can be vague and clear cut at times, which is what makes this doctrine so interesting. This research dares to examine how this doctrine functions throughout various circumstances, discuss any liabilities and exceptions, pin point legal cases where these liabilities and exceptions are shown and to outline appropriate business policies that are relevant to this topic.

Keywords:

Employment at Will Doctrine, An ExaminationEmployment at Will Doctrine

How is the Employment at Will Doctrine defined? Why does it exist? What significant role does it play in Employment Law? Are there any loopholes? What rights does the employer as well as the employee have concerning this doctrine? These are the questions that one must answer when thoroughly examining and explaining the Employment at Will Doctrine. This research will examine and discuss various cases and scenarios that will reveal answers to each of these questions.

Employment at Will Overview

Employment-at-will is defined as the power for an employer to release an employee from their position for good cause...